Lincotek Additive: State-of-the-Art Additive Production Center for Medical Applications

TRENTO, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lincotek Additive, the Additive Solutions Provider, has recently completed its brand new, state-of-the-art Additive Production Center for medical devices in its Trento facility, by installing a new high-vacuum furnace and a validated heat treatment process, specifically designed for 3D-printed titanium parts. The move – along with an expansion in lab capabilities – will triple the capacity for thermal treatment at the site in Northern Italy.

The company has been working on improvements in the AM process for some 15 years, drawing on the expertise of a team with a deep understanding of metallurgy, additive processing and design. Reactive metals, such as titanium, produce specific challenges, and high-temperature heat treatments involve a great deal of complexity. Lincotek Additive is mastering these challenges, resulting in best-in-class scrap rates and high reliability in our production processes.

In terms of benefits for customers, the new investments have led to a reduction in lead times and a robust back-up strategy, building on Lincotek Additive’s reputation for the delivery of high-performance 3D parts. Lincotek, in collaboration and partnership with its customers, is continuously innovating in the field of heat treatments specifically designed to improve material performances.

In addition to the significant investment in heat treatment, Lincotek Additive has added a range of instruments to its Trento Laboratory that are essential for understanding and mastering AM powder metallurgy. This expansion will boost new project development and validation capability to support the company’s global expansion in this innovative technology.

The modernization builds on Lincotek’s extensive knowledge and proven ability in powder handling, storage and aging. The technological investment, combined with the lengthy experience of engineers and scientists in R&D, deliver build-to-build consistency, defect-free components and reproducibility between AM machines. As a result, our customers will benefit from a more robust validation strategy with a considerable time-to-market reduction.

The Additive facility relies on a dedicated team, which is engaged in continuous training and education to ensure that it can meet the new challenges in the fast-evolving world of 3D printing.

“We’re delighted that so many OEMs are now taking advantage of our complete additive service offer. Our outstanding performance is based on a profound technical mastery of the additive manufacturing process, building on R&D and validation capability, led by additive experts who support the OEMs in their serial additive manufacturing needs,” says Winfried Schaller, Lincotek, Group CEO. “Today, we’re globalizing our reach, by having invested in an AM facility in our plant in Memphis, Tennessee to best support our US medical customers. In 2019 we have moved to the next step, by opening an Additive Innovation Center in Switzerland, Europe focused on the IGT and Aviation market. We are already working on the next step of growth, looking at expanding our AM capability in China too.”

Lincotek Additive | Italy-based Lincotek Additive started to explore metal 3D printing back in 2006. As the Additive division of Lincotek, a global contract manufacturer headquartered in Rubbiano, Italy, it has long been at the forefront of research, design, engineering and manufacturing in the medical, IGT and aviation fields and today is one of the most respected producers in the Additive Manufacturing market. The group has more than 1,100 employees located in 16 production facilities across Europe, North America and Asia. For more information, please visit lincotek.com/additive.