By expanding its business into GKN Additive Materials and GKN Additive Components, GKN Additive combines material and process expertise to unlock a digital value chain
GKN Additive, a leader in the metal additive manufacturing (AM) market, and GKN Hoeganaes, a global leader in the production of high volume powders for powder metallurgy (PM) and specialized AM powders, today announced plans to merge their expertise into GKN Additive Materials. GKN Additive Materials is a new sub-brand of GKN Additive, next to the new sub-brand GKN Additive Components, that summarizes the current process and parts business. Now being a full powder-to-part solution supplier, GKN Additive is on track to become a world leader in metal AM.
“Our entire business is about transforming powder into parts, powder is our key ingredient and at the center of everything we do,” said Guido Degen, President Additive Manufacturing at GKN Powder Metallurgy.
“Our unique advantage – having powder and parts under one roof – allows us to combine internal process and materials knowledge to get a better understanding of the impact of materials in processes. We can now deliver advanced digital powders, specialized for precision and function. As the AM manufacturing process becomes more defined, the ability to design and customize digital powders will create new markets, enhance machine performance and reduce costs for our customers.”
GKN Additive controls a completely digitized value chain from powder to part and captures massive amounts of internal data and feedback from customers into its cloud. The database is leveraged across GKN Additive’s whole global print network to explore new ways to predict more robust processes and increase productivity and quality.
Delivering advanced digital powders
GKN Hoeganaes is advancing the AM materials landscape for all AM companies by developing cost effective, high performance alloy solutions for industrial, automotive, medical and aerospace markets.
Chris Schade, Director Additive Materials & Site Director Cinnaminson, explained: “We are working with a wide range of companies to tailor material solutions for their AM needs to advance the AM industry as a whole. Currently, GKN Additive is developing materials for AM machine suppliers, AM parts producers, and directly with the automotive manufacturing companies.
This is a similar journey that Hoeganaes has traveled in conventional PM where we take advantage of our “digital powder network” to develop custom alloy solutions for materials ranging from sheet steels to soft magnetic alloys as well as standard wrought grades used in structural and automotive parts. These materials are all designed and developed to take advantages of the additive process. We welcome the challenge to work with our customers to develop materials solutions specifically for AM.”
“With our fully controlled value-added finishing process we constantly refine our portfolio of advanced powders for AM from low alloy steels, stainless steels, nickel-, copper-, aluminum-, and titanium-alloy powders to specialized novel powders.”
GKN Additive’s intelligence in powder is featured by:
– Full control of powder fabrication and customization
– State-of-the-art powder production and technology
– World leading AM powder laboratories with testing capabilities and metallography to deliver guaranteed quality
– Dedicated team of material experts with in-depth industry knowledge
– Internal AM process knowledge from GKN Additive Components
