K3D opens shared AM facility
In the second quarter of this year Flam3D member K3D will open a new joint AM facility on the Brainport Industries Campus. Under the name K3D-AddFab, K3D will, together with various partners, support small, medium and large enterprises in the development and production of AM applications. In addition, K3D-AddFab will also collaborate with educational institutions in the region. According to the consortium, this interaction between teachers and the business world is extremely important to adapt the future generation to the needs of the market.
K3D, a subsidiary of Kaak Group based in Terborg, focuses on sharing knowledge and production capacity in the field of 3D metal printing. In K3D’s Printing Technology Centers, the industry gains easy access to the world of 3D printing. The open innovation and the intensive cooperation between companies and educational institutions on Brainport Industries Campus (BIC) are a reason for K3D to also open a branch on BIC. In addition, the move to BIC means a renewed cooperation with the partners from AddFab: KMWE, NTS and Machinefabriek De Valk. Additive Industries – as supplier of the 3D printing machines – is also part of this cooperation. Under the name K3D-AddFab, this consortium will develop its joint activities in the Brainport region.
“BIC gives us access to the education network through Summa College, Fontys and TU Eindhoven”, says K3D director Luuk Wissink. “The interaction between teachers and the business world is essential to keep the future generation connected to the needs of the market”. K3D also offers training itself. Wissink expects that the move to BIC will contribute to the development of the ecosystem of 3D metal printing. “Eindhoven is very important in this regard. It’s about more than just the printing itself, it’s also about the design beforehand and the post-processing afterwards. Together we will bring the ecosystem to maturity and prepare the market for 3D printing”.
Ferdinand Gremmen, director of SDK Vastgoed (VolkerWessels) and responsible for Brainport Industries Campus: “K3D-AddFab is a wonderful addition to the existing portfolio that we see at BIC. We are especially happy because this is a company that works so strongly through open innovation and has a tangible urge to work together, which makes our entire campus stronger. The same goes the other way around: K3D-AddFab can grow thanks to the BIC ecosystem and the education present here”.
K3D-AddFab is part of the innovation programme ‘Factory of the Future’. This programme has been created by and with 75 companies, knowledge institutions and sector associations, in close cooperation with the province of Noord-Brabant, which also invests in it, Brainport Industries Coöperatie (BI) and Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM). The innovations target Smart Industry themes such as robotics, digital factory, multi-material 3D printing, industrial metal printing, high-tech software, future manufacturing skills and production logistics. The facilities for the Factory of the Future are currently being realised within Brainport Industries Campus.
This article first appeared on the SDK vastgoed website.
Photo: © Ruud Balk