A Trumpf TruPrint 3000 metal additive-manufacturing (AM) system from Trumpf (www.trumpf.com) has been acquired by the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry, which provides manufacturing-system solutions to customers in a wide range of sectors.

MTC chief engineer Ross Trepleton said: “The idea behind installing the Trumpf TruPrint 3000 is to showcase laser powder-bed technology.

“Our new innovation and knowledge hub or metal AM has only been open since October, but we already have a range of different AM platforms in place.

"We are trying to demonstrate to industry the fundamental differences between the various AM technologies available on the market.

"The addition of the TruPrint 3000 is nice, because the machine is very production-focused. For instance, build and supply cylinders can be quickly replaced, which allows users to reduce set-up times and increase productivity and machine utilisation rate.

"Furthermore, the machine’s engineered structure is very robust.

“With machine commissioning and training complete, the TruPrint 3000 is available to any company that has an interest in metal AM.

"We have deliberately invested in high-end systems for each type of metal AM platform, to see how the technologies compare with each other.

"Those coming to use the machines will soon discover which works best for their particular application, and that will help to guide their investment decisions.”