The additive manufacturing of thermoplastic parts — together with details such as surface textures and automatic part identification — is available from Additive Innovation GmbH (AI) (www.additive-innovation.com), which is now offering the low-cost high-speed production of polyamide 12 thermoplastic parts using HP Jet Fusion technology and data from all popular CAD systems and 3-D formats.

Surface textures from over 5,000 texture patterns are available and can be applied for components such as interior trim in automotive applications (AI says these finishes can be achieved quickly with its 4D_Additive software at no additional cost).

Moreover, with the HP Jet Fusion process and 4D_Additive, “full-surface fusion of the material layers results in pressure-tight heavy-duty components with isotropic strength properties, homogeneous surfaces and unique texture patterns that can be immediately installed in industrial products without reworking”.

For automatic part identification, AI uses its 3D_Evolution Partfinder software.

A spin-off of the global software manufacturer Core Technologie and a distribution partner of Hewlett Packard (HP), AI was founded in January 2018 and started operations at its headquarters in Mömbris, near Aschaffenburg.

Managing director Michael Knaak, who has 15 years’ experience in the field of 3-D printing, said: “The mission of
Additive Innovation is to optimise additive-manufacturing processes with specialised software tools that are tailored to the needs of each company.

"The AI team has direct access to Core Technologie’s ‘state of the art’ software tools and up-to-date know-how of technology partner HP, enabling it to respond to new requirements and seamlessly transition from design and 3-D modelling to 3-D printing.”