PRESS RELEASE 15 October 2018
VBN Components celebrates 10 years of materials development
Metal materials with remarkable properties. This has been the driving force for the Swedish company VBN Components since the very start. Today they look back at hard work and countless experiments that have led to patented alloys with unique performance.
In the middle of the financial crisis in 2008, the foundation was laid for what would become VBN Components AB. The world was at a crossroads and uncertainty was high in a time when companies had more order cancellations than actual orders. Here it was, the opportunity to turn the business upside down by using additive manufacturing (3D-printing) of high strength, carbide rich materials. Materials that have taken shape through extensive analysing, as well as testing of different free forming techniques.
“Our strength was a broad experience of industrial methods at the time, implying complicated processes and extended lead times. There was a significant limitation to what materials a mechanical engineer could choose, which we wanted to change”, says Ulrik Beste, CTO and one of the founders.
VBN Components nurtures the Swedish heritage within the metal industry by continuously developing new and better materials. The corrosion and wear resistant Vibenite® 350 was a perfect fit to the plastics industry, where there is a demand for complex shapes and high performance. Next in line was Vibenite® 290,” World’s Hardest Steel”, which reached global awareness with its unique properties. The performance of the steel has proven to significantly raise production capacity for industrial tools, quite according to plan.
“After our first patent, describing the process of making extremely clean and low-oxygen-rate materials, we realised that we were on to something big”, says Martin Nilsson, CEO and one of the founders.
In 2018 the company celebrates 10 years. They have several patents and innovation awards for new, hard materials to show for it. And there is more to come. Shortly, the greatest news in the history of the company will be unveiled, described as “a revolution in material development”.
Watch the film on World’s hardest steel (possible to choose English or German subtitles)
For further information, please contact:
Isabelle Bodén, Press Contacts
VBN Components AB
Switchboard: +46 (0)18-24 07 60
Cell phone: +46(0)702-36 22 81
Email: Isabelle.boden@vbncomponents.com
Website: www.vbncomponents.com
Press Center: https://vbncomponents.com/press/
VBN Components in brief
VBN Components AB is a frontline materials development company that manufactures wear-resistant metal components directly from powder, so-called 3D-printing (additive manufacturing, free forming). The company, which has won numerous awards, is conducting a range of important customized projects to improve the competitiveness of the engineering industry. VBN is an alumnus from Uppsala Innovation Centre, ranked as the world’s 4th best business incubator with university connection. The company provides Near-Net-Shape components branded Vibenite® to clients needing metal components with high complexity and/or extreme wear-resistance. www.vbncomponents.com
