Renishaw launches new additive manufacturing demo center in California with Ibex
The new facility in Newbury Park, CA is equipped with Renishaw's RenAM 500 series
Renishaw, a UK-based metal AM company with operations around the globe, has opened a new Additive Manufacturing Demonstration Center in Newbury Park, California. The new facility, which will utilize Renishaw’s state-of-the-art metal 3D printing systems, was launched in collaboration with Ibex Engineering and will be located at Ibex’s headquarters.
The Additive Manufacturing Demonstration Center at Newbury Park will house Renishaw’s RenAM 500 series of laser-powder-bed-fusion AM systems. These will be leveraged to produce high-precision titanium parts (made from Ti64Al4V), presumably for Ibex’s precision linear and rotary positioning systems. The metal 3D printer series, notably, incorporates powder sieving and recirculation capabilities, making operation easier, more automated and safer.
“It’s fantastic to be able to place a metal additive manufacturing production cell within Ibex,” said Stephen Anderson, AM Business Development Manager, Renishaw USA. “Not only does it allow us to showcase our latest technologies, but partnering with Ibex provides us access to an expert manufacturer of precision staging equipment who will utilize the technology to develop innovative products, and drive metal AM into new markets and even wider adoption.”
The new facility within Ibex’s HQ will also feature ancillary technologies including wet downdraft, heat treatment processes, support, machining and inspection technology and part removal tools. Together with Renishaw’s metal AM systems, the demonstration center will offer an end-to-end solution for producing high quality metal components.
To round-out the end-to-end solution, the center will also integrate InfiniAM Central software and QuantAM build preparation software. These will enable visitors to explore the development of a 3D printable file, material parameters and the overall functionality of AM production.
“We have been a user of Renishaw’s high precision encoder systems in our products for many years and have a close working relationship,” stated Andre Perrin, Ibex Engineering CEO. “They understand manufacturers and manufacturing, the importance of quality, reliability, and most importantly, service.
“We are very excited about Renishaw’s approach to metal additive manufacturing and their vision to develop high precision, repeatable machines capable of serial production of parts. We look forward to developing new AM parts for our business and to sharing our knowledge with Renishaw’s visitors.”
According to Renishaw and Ibex Engineering, visitors are welcome to explore and use the new metal AM facility upon request. Presently, Renishaw Group operates over 70 offices in 36 countries around the globe. It hosts Solution Centers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India and China.
