The Design, Research, Extension in Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Materials and Advanced Manufacturing (DR3AM) Center (BPSU, Bataan) signed an MoU with GCAMS (GOCERAM Advanced Material Solutions) to explore MEX-based 3D printing of clay and other materials.
The DR3AM Center is the first 3D printing research laboratory in the country, established at the Bataan Peninsula State University in the Philippines. It currently has a comprehensive array of 3D printers mainly for different types of polymers, with a strong position in both education and interaction with external industrial parties.
As stated by Prof. John Ryan C. Dizon, the director of the Center, “based on this MoU the DR3AM Center will now be expanding and broadening its capacity and outreach to include MEX-based (Material Extrusion) technologies, basically now covering all materials – from natural clays to metals, ceramics and composites.”
GCAMS has already deployed and commissioned two types of printers at the DR3AM Center, a 3D PotterBot 10 unit and a Metallic3D universal 3D printer. This latter one can print all materials based on the wax-base feedstocks, as well as solvent-base ones. The solvent-base feedstocks are printed at ambient temperature and, unlike most other technologies, the parts go directly to sintering, no debinding step being necessary. GCAMS is also supplying low-cost non-exclusive licenses to prepare both these types of feedstocks from pre-qualified powders of choice. This “make-your-own-feedstock” option makes users independent of external feedstock supply sources.
The purpose of this MoU is be to pursue research collaboration, product development, Intellectual Property registration and journal publications with BPSU in the field of additive manufacturing technology, engineering, advanced materials, and related areas. “We are very pleased with these broadened possibilities” added Dr Ruby B. Santos-Matibag, President of BPSU, also mentioning that “this agreement may potentially further strengthen the Center’s motivation to focus on development and education related to real applications in the various material fields as our next target”.
“After commissioning these two printers at the DR3AM Center, Bataan is right now the only place in the whole Southeast Asia with this flexible capability to print almost any material fast and cost-efficiently”, said Dr Robert Pompe, CEO of GOCERAM/GC Advanced Material Solutions, Ltd., adding that “in general, the MEX-based AM technologies, are getting more traction as a most straightforward manufacturing path, without constraints such as slow build rate, exclusive chemicals and/or huge equipment investments. For metals in particular, near-net shape fast printing combined with limited CNC machining, to only adjust the final tolerances and to improve the surface condition, is becoming attractive. With the CNC removing 40 – 80 % of the material & dropping powder metal prices, the fast MEX-based printing offers a strong commercially attractive option.”
