WAAM3D Ltd, a spin-out company from Cranfield University, has received major investment from Accuron Technologies Ltd, an international engineering and technology group with its headquarters in Singapore.
WAAM3D Ltd is commercialising ‘Wire-based Additive Manufacturing’ (WAAM) technology developed at Cranfield University (by a team led by Stewart Williams) and will be ‘rolling it out’ into the aerospace, energy and other industries.
Professor Williams, head of the Welding Engineering and Laser Processing Centre at Cranfield University, said: “We have been researching and developing this technology for more than a decade; it is set to have an enormous impact on manufacturing businesses around the world.
“I’m delighted that we can now really start to commercialise WAAM and bring real-world products to market.”
Filomeno Martina, CEO of WAAM3D Ltd, said: “There is a huge market potential for this technology, based on the interest we have been receiving from various industry sectors.
"We are delighted to be partnering with Accuron Technologies to bring WAAM forward. The company will be hiring as many as 20 people in the coming year to scale up operations.
"We also aim to keep close links with Cranfield University, as well as other institutional and industrial partners.”
WAAM can be used to produce large metal components with low cost and short production lead times.The process, which uses an electric arc or laser to melt metal wire, is ‘highly accurate and cost-effective’.
It is also environment-friendly, offering greatly reduced emissions and material consumption.
Cranfield University has been at the forefront of WAAM research and has garnered the interest of many industry partners in this technology — and it has won many accolades.
For example, at the 3D Printing Awards 2019, Cranfield University and WAAM3D won the ‘Aerospace or Automotive Application of the Year’ prize.
The university will continue to focus its world-leading research on new processes — such as NEWAM (New Wire Additive Manufacturing) — via industrial projects and grants from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.