Dear VBN Friends,
We hope this finds you well. In this edition of our newsletter, we are excited to share with you a recap of recent and upcoming events featuring VBN Components, along with significant achievements in the field of additive manufacturing, including a new material in development. From insightful speeches to pioneering research, and not to forget, our active participation in key industry events – here is everything you need to know.
Keynote presentation reveals successful laser printing for Vibenite®
The International Conference on the Science of Hard Materials (ICSHM) is certainly a prestigious one. This year, VBN contributed to a keynote presentation in collaboration with Prof. Dr. -Ing. Tobias Schwanekamp from iWFT Cologne. VBN and iWFT Cologne are collaborating in a research project on the laser-printing of the Vibenite® 480 alloy with Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). As you may know, VBN Components produces with Electron Beam Melting today. At ICSHM, the presentation “Additive manufacturing of CrC-enriched WC-Co hybrid carbide with laser based – powder bed fusion” was selected as a keynote speech on the 12th of March.
The results point out a wide and robust process window for the laser printing, which is a great benefit when processing these very difficult cemented carbide type of alloys. Researchers have heated the powder bed to 800 °C in a laser printer and tested a number of different melting settings. The highest achieved hardness was 1100 HV3 and bending strength was 1075 N/mm2.
The research demonstrates great opportunities for 3D printing cemented carbide type materials in LPBF machines with sufficient heating capabilities. This is great news for the AM field, where both universities and companies are making large efforts to solve the need for producing wear resistant materials by LPBF.
Japan: A hub of activity
The month of March also saw us hosting a successful webinar in Japanese, in collaboration with our partner HTL Co. Japan Ltd., delivered by our Senior AM Development Engineer, Pär Arumskog. Looking ahead, HTL is gearing up to exhibit at several fairs in Tokyo, including Medtec Japan from 17-19 April, SPEXA Business Expo from 24-26 April, and the Additive Manufacturing Expo, from 19-21 June. Additionally, a visit to FOOMA Japan is scheduled for 4-7 June. All events will take place at Tokyo Big Sight, offering an excellent chance to meet our team and learn more about our latest developments. Please contact HTL to book an appointment.
Innovations in wear protection at Ytskyddsdagarna (Swedish Surface Protection Days)
On 7-8 February 2024, VBN Components participated at Ytskyddsdagarna (Swedish Surface Protection Days), held at Kistamässan in Stockholm. Our CTO, Ulrik Beste, delivered a compelling presentation on the production of extremely wear-resistant components for increased surface protection through 3D printing with Vibenite®. One application example showed at the exhibition was a nozzle, created for the blasting of U-Beams and H-Beams. The specific shape can be achieved though additive manufacturing, and the wall thickness can easily be increased in the areas subjected to the most wear.
New Vibenite® alloy on the way
As you know, developing innovative materials is our specialty. We are therefore thrilled to announce that it will not be long before you can benefit from our next innovation. We will tell you more when the final version is here…
A look back at Industrial Spring
At the end of March our CEO, Magnus Bergman, spoke at the Industrial Spring event in Kielce, Poland. Those who attended were treated to an enriching presentation about “Additive Manufacturing of Wear Resistant Components”. It was an excellent opportunity for attendees to delve deeper into the advancements VBN is pioneering in the manufacturing sector. We are looking forward to exploring new customer projects as a result of the event.
SNACKEX – An event for the savoury snacks business
All of you may not be familiar with the fact that VBN produces machine parts for snacks production. We can provide parts that you do not have to change as often, which will keep production interruptions to a minimum. We are exploring the snack industry further and will be attending SNACKEX at Älvsjömässan, Stockholm on 19-20 June. Contact us for a meeting there, but meanwhile, have a look at the video where our Vibenite® 350 knife cuts cheese snacks!
