As inventor of the 3DMP® (3D Metal Print) technology, GEFERTEC has become innovation leader in the field of additive manufacturing of metallic parts, especially those of major volume (up to 3 m3) and mass, respectively. Founded 2015 in Berlin, the company enjoys a considerable installed base at renowned customers within industry segments like job-shop, aerospace or research institutes. Since at least the entry of the EMAG Group – starting off as strategic partner, later as investor, both during 2018 – 3DMP® has been firmly established as the new industry standard in the marketplace. The reasons behind this rapid success are due in parts to the 3DMP® method itself, as it integrates the mature arc welding technology and a user-friendly CAM software together with the arc printing machine series that uses raw material in wire form. In comparison with powder, wire material provides the benefits of better handling and easier storage combined with an extensive material choice and utilization ratio close to 100%. Currently, around 30 alloys (aluminum, steel, nickel base, titanium) are available with process-reliability. By means of this, cost reduction of 60% can be achieved when compared to chipping, and, best of all, starting at a lot size of 1. Furthermore, 3DMP® reduces lead time considerably, since the method dispenses with upstream processes, necessary when using conventional solutions: e.g. the procurement of raw materials, semi-finished products and/or molds. 3DMP® also allows for the creation of entirely new usage dimensions with regards to the workpiece itself, for instance by adding cooling channels or by fusing different materials, such as copper on steel. All of this applies especially to complex applications, as all 3D printers of the arc4xx and arc6xx series provide for three- or five-axis processing.
