Conventional Power Generation

• Companies are experimenting with additive manufacturing for quick manufacture of prototypes and part replacement.
• The US Department of Energy has been supporting the progress of 3D printing for usages in conventional energy.
• In July 2018, 15 R&D projects were selected by the DOE.
• The government funded these projects, and they all aim to create various new technologies for fossil-fueled power systems.
• One of these projects, by DNV GL, involves the development of computational support tools that optimize novel material combinations for fabricating microchannel heat exchangers via additive manufacturing for supercritical CO2 power cycle technology, in hopes of obtaining new options for materials with property gradients for the fossil power industry.
• United Technologies Research Center, on the other hand, is planning to find new ways to apply “computational methods and tools to microstructure evolution and mechanical evolution.”
• These are usually used for the manufacturing of superalloy parts for turbine engines. 

• Siemens produced a 3D printed metal replacement part for an industrial steam turbine in April 2018.
• This was considered to be the first of its kind.
• In 2017, the company finished its first full-load engine tests for their gas turbine blades.
• This was done through the use of additive manufacturing technology.  
• Additionally, the company is currently developing additive manufacturing solutions for multiple blades turbine vanes, burner nozzles, and radial impellers.
• They also successfully 3D-printed and engine tested a complex combustion component for its aero-derivative gas turbine, the SGT-A05.
• The dry low emission (DLE) pre-mixer, also known as a burner chamber or flame holder, was produced using Siemens’ printable nickel-based superalloys.
• The component that usually requires 20 parts and casting and assembly methods required only two parts with additive manufacturing, reducing its lead time by an estimated 70%.
• With tight tolerances and functionality in high load and high-temperature environments, the DLE pre-mixer successfully performed fuel transitions, CO emissions reductions were realized, and full power was achieved with no measurable combustion dynamics or noise.
• 3D printing the DLE pre-mixer also improved the geometry of the component, allowing a better fuel-air mix.

• GE also believes that 3D printing is a disruptor in the energy industry because it sent out about 9,000 3D printed gas turbine components.
• Additionally, GE is using the same technology for its HA-class gas turbines. 
• Furthermore, the nozzle helped the company push the efficiency of the turbines to 64%, and the company is currently aiming to reach an efficiency of 65%.
• In 2018, GE announced the world’s first upgrade with additive manufactured components for GT13E2 gas turbines– the new MXL2 with Additive Manufactured Performance (AMP).
• The technology is predicted to save $2 million in annual fuel consumption for the company.
• Additionally, it is expected to increase the company’s revenues by $3 million because of this new power capacity.

• According to Siemens, 3D printing is a game-changer, since it can reduce the lead time for producing parts.
• Vladimir Navrotsky, Chief Technology Officer for Siemens Power Generation Services, Distributed Generation stated that “additive manufacturing is revolutionizing our industry, delivering measurable benefits and real value to our customers, particularly as they look to reduce emissions further to meet environmental targets.”
• GE believes in 3D printing’s ability to enhance the efficiency of turbines. 
• Scott Strazik, president of GE’s Power Service Business, declared that “We’re continuing to invest in new technologies to keep our installed base competitive: the new MXL2 with AMP upgrade could not be manufactured with conventional methods and marks the first-of-its-kind solution with the injection of components manufactured by additive technologies.”

Nuclear Energy

• AM can use, within the Nuclear Energy Industry, for design flexibility, the advancement of new materials, certifying and qualifying new parts and embedding sensors for real-time monitoring.
• More significant components, such as pressure vessels for small modular reactors, could use advanced methods—like powder metallurgy hot isostatic pressing and electron beam welding (welding at the molecular level)—to reduce the cost and schedule of manufacturing.

• In February 2018, Rosatom, a Russia’s state-owned nuclear power utility, established a company for the development of additive manufacturing technologies, Rusatom – Additive Technologies or RusAT.
• The company has already developed a pre-production prototype of a Gen II 3D printer. 
• Its commercial production is scheduled for 2019. 
• In March 2017, Siemens used nuclear energy for their 3D printed impeller for a fire protection pump located in the Krško nuclear power plant in Slovenia.
• Furthermore, the existing technology has obsolete parts which are no longer available in the market, which can be used in old power plants to continue their operations.
• Westinghouse is also using binder-jetting additive manufacturing to cut costs and cut short the lead times for parts that are difficult to obtain.

• According to Rosatom, additive manufacturing technology has many advantages.  
• First of all, it is a complex product form that is impossible to get by mechanical processing or casting, the unique combination of materials (e.g., metal and ceramics), significant reduction of the item weight and prototype production time.

Wind Energy Industry

• The Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) of the US Department of Energy has started to print molds for blades with AM technologies.
•  The Blade design usually requires the creation of a plug that will be used to create the mold.
• This process is considered to be one of the most time-consuming and labor-intensive processes in wind blade construction.
• It is claimed that 3D printing can lessen the use of critical resources in this given process. 
• The US Department of Energy’s Wind Program and Advanced Manufacturing Office has partnered with public and private organizations to apply AM in the production of wind turbine blade molds.
• However, AM can mean fewer sub-components, but it will also be possible to design the part in one place and then send its schematics for 3D printing in different locales so that it can be closer to where it is needed.

• Blade manufacturer LM Wind Power uses AM for fast prototyping.
•  GE and Vestas are focusing on developing new material within AM.
• GE and Vestas are looking into building network locations around the world, offering additive production. 
• According to Vestas, “with more than 68GW under service and turbines installed in 75 countries, often in remote areas, a technology to produce and distribute spare parts locally could potentially help reduce cost and downtime on our customers’ turbines.”
• Sandia, collaborating with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and TPI Composites is developing prototype blades as part of an effort to research wind plant performance.
• With more large 3D printers becoming available in the marketplace, TPI is evaluating the feasibility of using 3D printing not only for producing molds for subscale blade prototypes but perhaps also for larger-scale blade manufacturing.

• AM can speed up part and component development time by up to 75%, reduce material resources by up to 65%, and reduce gas emissions by up to 30%.
• A single part can be manufactured in one step, not requiring a secondary joining process and additive manufacturing can also be used in the repair of components.
• AM could enable in-site manufacture of turbine components that are designed to fit a location and its special needs, which would decrease the shipping, transportation and handling costs and increase the rate at which new blade prototypes can be tested.

Solar Energy

• 3D printed solar panels are considered to be light-and-thin panels that can be easily transported, and because of its features, it reduces the chances of it being damaged.
• Reducing the weight reduces the difficulties linked to transport, which in turn make it easier to implant in developing countries.
• The CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) is reported to be using industrial 3D printers to print rolls of solar cells.
• The Australians scientists succeeded in creating A3 sheets of solar cells, that can be used on any surfaces such as windows or building. These are functional and efficient solar panels.
• The technology is still in its infancy.

• Simusolar, a company planning to start the use of solar energy in Tanzania, is developing a small-scale sustaining solution that could help the locals.
• The company is using 3D printing because solar panels require custom-made parts.
• Kyung-In Synthetic created solar panels with 3D printing technology to provide solar electricity in remote areas.
• These 3D printed solar panels use perovskite solar cells, which improves in performance every year.
• It is estimated that these solar cells can create more than one year of full performance without losing any efficiency.

• MIT researchers claim that applications of additive technology in solar panels could reduce manufacturing cost by “50% with 20% increase in efficiency compared to traditional solar panels.”
• Further research is being made with Perovskite to improve the panel efficiency.

•  Oil and Gas Industry 
•  Batteries 
•  Bionic Structures 

AM TECHNOLOGY IN CRANIAL IMPLANTS

•  Explanation of AM usage: In this case, the cranial metal implants built by AM technology are used in complex reconstructive trauma surgery in order to deliver better quality and efficiency to the patient and to improve the predictability, accuracy, safety, and speed of operations.
•  Example of AM use: In the Tekon Medical Center in Barcelona, the neurosurgeon Bartolomé Oliver, MD, Ph.D. used AM technology from UK experts to rebuild the skull of a female patient that presented a benign growth on the left side of her cranium, necessitated after the removal of a meningioma.
•  Motivation for using AM technology: In the case presented, the surgeon in charge of the operation used AM technology, saving 30% of the time in the operation, considering that hospital costs rise with each minute for patients and institutions, meaning a lot of money saved. Additionally, shorter surgery times can help reduce the risk of infection and accelerate the patient's recovery.

AM TECHNOLOGY IN DENTISTRY

•  Explanation of AM usage: In dentistry, AM technology is being used to digitally fabricate dental prostheses, implants, crowns, and bridges, delivering accurate and quick work.
•  Example of AM use: Swift Dental Group, led by Roy McGillivary and Mark Stevenson, have used the AM technology to produce replicas of dental pieces of 40-micron layers of CE-marked cobalt chrome powder. The whole process of printing takes about eight to twelve hours.
•  Motivation for using AM technology: According to Swift Dental Group's founders, AM technology significantly improves their processes: "the processes are much smoother and more efficient than ever before, and the level of accuracy that we are able to achieve with the additive manufacturing processes has helped position us ahead of our competition.” With the normal process of designing metal dental prostheses, the client has to return with the dentist to re-work the piece. However, with dental pieces produced with AM technology, the appointments are reduced drastically which has a significant effect on the revenue of the professional.

AM TECHNOLOGY USED IN MAXILLOFACIAL RECONSTRUCTION

•  Explanation of AM usage: In maxillofacial reconstruction, AM technology is used mainly to give the patient a normal life. Manufacturing metal pieces to substitute the deforming bones in a skull by an accident or disease gives the patient a second chance to live.
•  Example of AM use: An example of the pioneering use of AM technology in this healthcare area was the case of Stephen Power who was left with multiple skull fractures after a horrific motorcycle accident. He required immediate reconstructive surgery. Dr. Adrian Sugar from Cleft and Maxillofacial Surgery at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, UK, applied AM tech jointly with traditional surgery to help Stephen.
•  Motivation for using AM technology: The motivation in Dr. Sugar's own words: “I think it's incomparable—the results are in a different league from anything we've done before.” The results allowed Stephen to go out in public like any other person. In other words, Stephen was granted a high quality of life.

AM TECHNOLOGY USED IN SPINAL IMPLANTS

•  Explanation of AM usage: The objective of using AM technology in spinal implants is to mimic the mechanical properties of the natural bone of spinal discs to restore life quality in patients with a range of medical conditions including degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, and osteoporosis.
•  Example of AM use: IMR and nTopology worked together to jointly develop the optimal spinal implant that encourages high osseointegration: a titanium lattice structure which offers a broad surface to encourage migration of osteoblasts into the implant. AM technology provides the ability to optimize the mechanical properties of a porous volume to meet the required loading conditions.
•  Motivation for using AM technology: The production of a metal structure that mimics the natural cervical bone, with normal methods, is practically impossible. Therefore, the use of AM technology in this area permits a significant breakthrough in healthcare. Moreover, AM technology reduces the amount of post-processing normally required, saving time and money.

RESEARCH STRATEGY:

AM USE FOR PRODUCTION OF METAL PARTS IN AVIATION INDUSTRY

LIGHTER PLANE SEATS

•  Autodesk produces lighter plane seats.
• Motivation: The seats weighed only 766g, which is 54% less than any other plane seat.

ENGINES

• Pratt & Whitney uses AM in the production of its twelve part engines. Parts such as fasteners, fuel collectors, and injection nozzles are 3D printed from nickel and titanium.
• The technologies used are mainly electron beam melting (EBM) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS).
• Motivation: Additive Manufacturing permitted the company to save 50% of the weight and 15 months in the process of production.

FUSELAGE PANELS

•  STELIA Aerospace has used AM in the production of fuselage panels.
• A Wire and Arc AM (WAAM) technology was used to design and reinforce their metal fuselage panel.
• In this case, the motivation for using AM was the advantages it offers in relation to design.

DRONES

• Aurora Flight Sciences in collaboration with Stratasys created in 2015 the first aircraft without crew, which could fly faster than 240km/h.
• The drone has 80% of its parts printed with 3D technology. The technology used was the fused deposition modeling.
• The motivation for the use was of AM is the lightweight and high-performance materials, which allowed a high velocity to be achieved.

AEROSPACE TURBINES

•  Renishaw Ibérica is collaborating with Renishaw (UK) to create aerospace turbines by using AM processes.
• Renishaw used AM technology to print the parts that are difficult to create by using traditional methods.
• Motivation: The turbines developed are of lightweight and high-speed.  

ADDITIVE METAL MANUFACTURING LINES

• EOS is involved in the "tool-less manufacturing of high-quality prototypes and end products of metal".
• Their offerings include systems, materials, software and services for all industrial 3D printing processes.

Systems and Equipment

• EOS provides Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) systems for the manufacture of prototypes, end products, and series products. They include EOS M 100, EOS M 290, EOS M 300-4, EOS M 400, EOS M 400-4, and PRECIOUS M 080.
•  EOS M 100 is a high-end system used for the manufacture of complex metal parts through additive manufacturing. It is an entry level model due to its size and modular design. Its processes and component quality corresponds to the EOS M 290, which is referred to as the top system in the Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) market.
•  EOS M 290 is referred to as the benchmark used for industrial 3D printing of "high-quality metal parts with enhanced quality management features". It enables the manufacture of metal parts directly from CAD data and its features include an extensive portfolio which covers all the requirements of customers, CAM tool EOSPRINT for CAD data optimization, OS ParameterEditor software for application optimization, and EOSTATE monitoring systems (consisting of System, Laser, PowderBed, MeltPool, and ExposureOT) for quality assurance.
•  EOS M 300-4 is used for the digital additive manufacturing of industrial metal parts. It provides a high level of flexibility and allows up to 10 times higher productivity of DMLS quality.
•  EOS M 400 is used for the additive manufacturing of large industrial metal parts. It has a building volume of 400 x 400 x 400 mm and enables direct production on an industrial scale from CAD data without tools.
•  EOS M 400-4 is an "ultra-fast quad-laser system" that has a large building volume of 400 x 400 x 400 mm. It has a combination of four lasers that enables higher productivity of up to four times. Its modular platform design enables easy integration with existing production systems.
•  The PRECIOUS M 080 is a high-end system used for the additive manufacture of precious metal products such as jewelry and watches. It enables tool-free direct production from CAD data. It can provide a broad range of product solutions with highly complex geometries.

Materials for Metal Additive Manufacturing

• EOS offers a wide range of metal powders used for the manufacture of metal parts through DLMS including aluminum, maraging steel, high-grade steel, tanium, nickel, and cobalt chrome alloys.
• Examples include EOS Aluminum AlSi10Mg, EOS Aluminum AlSi10Mg/200 °C, EOS CobaltChrome MP1, EOS CobaltChrome SP2, EOS MaragingSteel MS1, EOS NickelAlloy HX, and EOS NickelAlloy IN625.

Material Management for Additive Manufacturing with Metal Materials

• EOS offers powder handling products to convey and sieve metal powder. The products have different levels of automation and they can be used with small or large quantities of powder with any EOS metal system.
• The EOS products for powder handling offers two solutions.
• Integrated Process Chain Management (IPCM-M): IPCM-M offers separate modules for multiple machines and/or different materials which gives a high level of flexibility and scalability.
• Intelligent Powder Management (IPM M): IPM M offers automated and intelligent powder handling solution to meet the needs of a production site.
• The products include IPCM-M extra, IPCM-M pro, and IPM M Powder Station L.

CUSTOMERS AND PRODUCTS IN DEVELOPMENT

• EOS additive metal manufacturing lines are produced for customers in different industries.
•  Aerospace customers include Sogeti, Liebherr, Ariane Group, and RUAG.
•  Automotive customers include EvoBus, Spartacus 3D, Williams Martini Racing, and DHBW Engineering.
•  Manufacturing customers include Conflux, Siemens, APS Technology, Anubis 3D, and Euro-K.
•  Lifestyle product customers include Bobby Tailor, Canto, Hoet, LUUV, and Kappius Components.
•  Medical customers include CSIR-CSIO, Alphaform, DePuy Spine, and OPM.
•  Tooling customers include Any-Shape, Salcomp, Innomia, and FWB.
• The products in development currently are from the NextGenAM project, a partnership with Premium AEROTEC and Daimler, after the conclusion of the pilot phase in April 2019.
• Aluminum replacement bus parts manufactured with 3D-printing are currently being evaluated.
• The electric car project team is also currently considering possible applications.

POSITIONING

• EOS claims to be the "global technology and quality leader for high-end solutions in the field of additive manufacturing" with innovative manufacturing systems and a "pioneer and world leader in the field of Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)".
• They present their EOS M 290 equipment as the benchmark for industrial 3D printing of "high-quality metal parts with enhanced quality management features".

INDUSTRIES SERVED

• EOS serves several industries and markets including aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, lifestyle products, medical devices, tooling, rapid prototyping, research, and education.

RECENT COMPANY DEVELOPMENTS

• EOS launched four new metal materials in May 2019 for additive manufacturing: EOS StainlessSteel CX, EOS Aluminum AlF357, EOS Titanium Ti64 Grade 5, and EOS Titanium Ti64 Grade 23. They were designed to suit a wide range of applications, including automotive and medical applications.
•  NextGenAM, a pilot project partnership involving Premium AEROTEC, EOS and Daimler initiated in May 2017 to develop a pilot production line for next-generation automated additive metal manufacturing process was concluded in April 2019.
• EOS celebrated its 30th anniversary in April 2019 with around 3,500 industrial 3D printing systems, over 300 completed customer projects, over 100 additive manufacturing experts, and 1200 employees globally. The company was founded in 1989 with only four people.
• EOS acquired Vulcan Labs, a US-based additive manufacturing company in 2019.
• After the official launch of the EOS M 300 equipment in September 2018 at IMTS in Chicago, Materials Solutions, a subsidiary of Siemens became the first company to test the system in a pilot phase and in close conjunction with EOS in December 2018.

SLM SOLUTIONS — COMPANY ANALYSIS

The Company's Additive Metal Manufacturing Lines

• SLM Solutions is a supplier of metal-based additive manufacturing technology currently producing four plants/machines — SLM®125, SLM®280, SLM®500, and SLM®800. They have varying chamber sizes and a number of lasers installed.
• The company utilizes Selective Laser Melting technology in their products. With this technology, lasers working simultaneously melt a metal part layer by layer in a bed of metallic powder, according to a computer-generated 3D model.
• Customers of SLM Solutions come from various industries including aviation and space, automotive, machine tools, engineering, medical, energy sector, and research.
• SLM Solutions is currently developing a new machine which features a minimum of 12 lasers and a build chamber of 600 x 600 mm which is set to be ready for presentation by November 2019.

How Do They Position Themselves In The Industry?

• SLM positions themselves as the leading supplier of metal-based additive manufacturing technology.
• They present themselves as a holistic solutions provider, possessing decades of market experience with a focus on the development, assembly and distribution of machines, and integrated system solutions.
• They position their products, specifically the SLM® technology, as offering a variety of possibilities with metal additive manufacturing of parts, including new freedom of design and geometry and achieving speed advantages in the development process.

Industry/Segment Focus

• SLM's technology is being utilized by Zare, an Italian company which specializes in precision engineering in manufacturing parts for the aerospace industry.
• SLM is also in collaboration with Audi to produce spare car parts with their Selective Laser Melting technology.
• Despite these collaborations, the company itself doesn't report any focus on a particular industry. 
• The geographic target market of the company includes Europe (including Germany), North America, and Asia-Pacific regions.

Recent Company Developments

• Together with Swerea IVF, a Sweden-based research group for industrial renewal and sustainable development and 10 other research institutions and companies, SLM Solutions is currently undergoing a project which aims to develop a new production line for metal-based additive manufacturing with a focus on selective laser melting.
• SLM opened a new headquarters in Lübeck-Genin on August 2018 in an effort to have optimal general conditions for future innovations, higher production capacities, and further growth.
• The director of Scientific and Technology Research at SLM Solutions Group AG, Dr. Dieter Schwarze, has become the deputy director of the new Additive Manufacturing Steering Committee established by the German Institute for Standardization. Together with the steering committee, they aim to intensify standardization of work in additive manufacturing.

THE COMPANY'S ADDITIVE LINE

•  Desktop Metal, with headquarters in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a technology company that designs and markets end-to-end metal 3D printing solutions.
• The company launched two end-to-end metal 3D printing systems, the Studio System​™ and the Production System​™, last April 25, 2017.
• Desktop Metal currently has a total of 7 funding rounds, raising about $436.8 million from Ford, GE Ventures, Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures, GV, and Koch Industries, among others, and is considered as the “highest funded private 3D printing endeavor in history”.
• It currently has their in-house Studio System metal materials such as 17-4 stainless steel and 316L stainless steel, while other metals in development are Alloy 625, H13 tool steel, AISI 4140, and Copper.

•  Desktop Metal's Studio System​™ was first shipped last December 18, 2017, to their early pioneer customers, which includes Google’s Advanced Technology and Products (ATAP) group as the first pioneer to receive their Studio printer system.
• Desktop Metal's Studio System​™ is the world's "first office-friendly metal 3D printing system" which is used for rapid prototyping of metal parts.
• The Studio System​™ is currently worth $120,000, 10x less expensive than existing technologies, and are designed to be used by mechanical engineers in the office setting instead of factories.

•  Desktop Metal's Production System​™ was first shipped and installed to early pioneer customers last March 2019, with broad availability in 2020.
• Desktop Metal's Production System​™ is the first metal 3D printing solution for mass production, which delivers accuracy, speed, and lower cost than traditional manufacturing.
• The Production System​™ is sold at $500,000 and designed to be used at factory settings for the mass production of metal parts.

HOW DESKTOP METAL POSITIONS ITSELF

• Desktop Metal position themselves as the startup technology company that designed, built and delivered the "World's First Office-friendly Metal 3D Printing System" and also the first metal 3D printing system for mass production.
• According to Ric Fulop, Co-Founder and CEO, their latest Series E funding round worth $160 million led by Koch Disruptive Technologies, will help position themselves into a "global leader in metal 3D printing, a key pillar of Industry 4.0".

DESKTOP METAL'S FOCUS INDUSTRY OR SEGMENT

• Desktop Metal has no particular focus on any industry or segment, and their end-to-end metal 3D printing systems are being used by small and large companies worldwide, including those from major industries like aerospace, consumer electronics, automotive, cosmetics, heavy machinery, service bureaus, machine shops, and government & education.
• Some of Desktop Metal's known customers worldwide are Ford, Stanley Black and Decker, ATAP, BMW, Goodyear, 3M, Google’s ProtoLabs, US Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Owens Corning, L3, TerraPower, Medtronic, Continental AG, Applied Materials, TECT Aerospace, MITRE and leading educational institutions such as MIT, University of Texas, Texas A&M and Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School.

RECENT COMPANY DEVELOPMENT

• Desktop Metal recently introduced a new model to their Production System before it's shipments early 2019, which has a 225% larger build envelope (750mm x 330mm x 250mm) and 50% print speed increase of 12,000 cm3/hour.
• Desktop Metal launched Fab Flow™ last May 20, 2019, a "fully-integrated prototype ordering and workflow management system for internal additive fabrication shops".
• Desktop Metal introduced Studio System+ and Studio Fleet last September 6, 2018, which combines all the Studio System's innovative and office-friendly features with more functionality in order to print metal parts in higher resolutions.

ADDITIVE LINE

• Velo3D develops and markets end-to-end solutions for the metal additive manufacturing industry.
• The company's products include metal printing system, physical simulation-based print preparation software, and an adaptive manufacturing process.
• In August 2018, the company launched its end-to-end metal additive solution which included a sapphire system, flow print preparation software, and intelligent fusion software.
• This solution is expected to overcome some challenges--product design limitations, part-to-part consistency, process control, and cost-effective manufacturing--faced by additive manufacturers.
• Velo3D's products are used by OEMs and manufacturing service providers.
• Velo3D recently struck a deal with Boom Supersonic to manufacture flight hardware for their XB-1 Supersonic demonstrator aircraft.

POSITIONING

• Velo3D positions itself as the company that has built the impossible for manufacturers within the additive manufacturing space.
• It brands itself as a company having capabilities to address the most difficult challenges in the additive manufacturing industry by providing comprehensive, end-to-end solutions that surpass present standards.
• The company sees itself as a leader in the 3D-print-for-metal-additive industry.

TARGET INDUSTRY

• Velo3D primarily targets OEMs and manufacturing service providers.
• Although the company does not focus on a particular industry or segment, aerospace has the largest share of its business.
• The company has a section on its home web page header that reads "Manufacture Anything", implying that they cater to a wide range of industries: aerospace, medical, energy & industrial.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

• In February 2019, the company announced that it had introduced improvements to its flow software that would accelerate metal 3D printing.
• In August 2018, the company announced the release of its end-to-end metal additive solution that comprised a sapphire system, flow print preparation and software, and intelligent infusion software.
• Velo3D partnered with Incodema3D to provide innovative parts for volume manufacturing. With this partnership, the company will expand its customer base by deploying its sapphire system to the Incodema3D system.

ADDITIVE METAL MANUFACTURING: RENISHAW OVERVIEW

COMPANY OFFERINGS

• Renishaw's business capabilities include metal 3D printing systems manufacturing and the provision of solutions in a wide range of industries globally.
• Renishaw offers "a total solution for metal additive manufacturing, from systems, metal powders, ancillaries and software through to an expert advice and support service."
• In essence, the company offers machines, software, and expert advice in the global metal additive manufacturing sector.
• Renishaw's advanced metal additive manufacturing systems are built by the company to meet a range of industry applications that require durability, customized parts, and precision.
• The major industries that Renishaw serves are the dental, medical, mould tooling, automotive, industrial tooling, aerospace, and creative industries.
• Renishaw's product and solution portfolio includes "metal additive manufacturing systems, metal powders, ancillary equipment, accessories, software, expert consultation and training, and global Solutions Centers."
• Renishaw's client base comprises of the healthcare industry - dental and medical, automotive, aerospace, creative, and research - universities, researchers and academic institution.

PRODUCT POSITIONING

• In regard to product positioning, Renishaw claims to be "one of the world's leading engineering and scientific technology companies, with expertise in precision measurement and healthcare."
• Renishaw also highlighted that it supplies products and services that are used in diverse applications that include jet engine manufacture, wind turbine manufacture, dentistry, and brain surgery. 
• Additionally, Renishaw claims to be "a world leader in the field of additive manufacturing, where it is the only U.K. business that designs and makes industrial machines which 'print' parts from metal powder."
• Renishaw Group has 80 offices in 36 countries and over 5,000 employees globally. An estimated 3,000 employees work in the U.K. where Renishaw carries out a majority of its research and development and manufacturing.

COMPANY'S INDUSTRY FOCUS

• As mentioned above, Renishaw offers solutions for a variety of industries. These industries include the healthcare, automotive, aerospace, creative, and research industries.
• However, Renishaw's focus is the healthcare industry. This is seen from the company's claim of being the world's leading engineering and scientific company with "expertise in precision measurement and healthcare."
• Specifically, Renishaw offers metal 3D printing solutions in the dental and medical healthcare sectors.
• Examples of these solutions are 3D printed dental frameworks like LaserPFM™ and metal 3D printing systems for use in healthcare.

RECENT COMPANY DEVELOPMENTS

• Renishaw opened a new facility in Nuevo León, Mexico to cater to its rapidly growing customer base.
• On May 8th, 2019, the company opened a new building that provides "customers with technical support, demonstration and training facilities for the company's innovative products in metrology, healthcare and additive manufacturing."
• The company invested around $5 million in the 3,200 m² facility to help manufacturers in Mexico become more efficient and profitable.

• Renishaw created a partnership with University Dental Hospital of Wales (UDH), Cardiff to help resolve some of the challenges that are associated with surgical implants.
• UDH had previously used "Renishaw's additive manufacturing (AM) services to manufacture a series of dental products, including cobalt chrome frameworks." However, the company had already been using AM to produce custom maxillofacial implants and surgical guides.

• Renishaw partnered with two advanced technology companies to demonstrate the advantages of additive manufacturing (AM) in the production of spinal implants.
• By working with "Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) and nTopology, the project shows how streamlined the transition from design to AM can be when working with the right partners."

• Renishaw collaborated with Domin Fluid Power to help the company maximize productivity when designing and manufacturing direct drive valves.
• Using metal additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, "the company can now manufacture smaller, more efficient drives and reduce cycle times from five and a half hours to just one."

FINDINGS

Boeing Additive manufacturing activities

• Boeing created the first-ever 3D printed metal antenna for a satellite which will be sent into space on the AMOS 17.
• Boeing makes 3D-printing for commercial aircraft parts, cabin interiors, military aircraft maintenance, and Jet engines for airplanes.
• The company has produced over 60,000 3D-printed parts which are now being used in the defense and space platforms.
• The company collaborated with Norsk to manufactured 3D-printed Titanium parts which are being used in the Boeing 787 aircraft.
• In partnership with Thermwood, Boeing employed additive manufacturing technology to produce a large, single-piece tool for the 777X program.
• Boeing manufactures 3D-printed composite parts such as footrests and air ducts for the 777X flight deck through its additive manufacturing sites.
• The company has been working with Stratasys to develop its Infinite Build technology.

Market Positioning

• Boeing is a leader in the 3D-printing space.
• Boeing received the first FAA certification for a 3D-printed titanium structural component.
• The company aims to accelerate the development of stable metal 3D-printed materials, processing capabilities, and specifications for titanium parts using flat powder bed additive manufacturing processes through its partnership with Oerlikon.
• Boeing collaborated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create the world's largest solid 3D printed item which was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records.
• In order to build and scale their capabilities to print metal aerospace parts that meet Boeing’s stringent safety requirements, the company has made several strategic investments and partnerships which includes investments in Morf3D and Digital Alloys.

HOW THE COMPANY APPLIES ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING?

1. What are they making?

•  Tritanium technology is Stryker’s proprietary additive manufacturing product.
• Stryker’s 3D printed Tritanium technology includes Tritanium Posterior Lumbar (PL) and Cervical © Cages for implantation in the spine.
• Using Tritanium technology, Stryker’s Spine Division has reportedly made 300,000 orthopedic devices.
• Stryker's recent product launches have included 3D-printed baseplates and patellas in their Triathlon knee replacement product and the 3D-printed Tritanium TL Curved Posterior Lumbar Cage, a hollow-bodied spinal implant that received FDA approval in March 2018.
• Stryker's Tritanium® C Anterior Cervical Cage, a 3D-printed interbody fusion cage is intended to be used in the cervical spine.
• Stryker's additive manufacturing product include cementless knee implant, a 3D printed patella, and a tibia base plate implant.
• Complete List of Stryker's Additive Manufacturing Product Making:
• Tritanium C Anterior Cervical Cage
• Tritanium TL Curved Posterior Lumbar Cage
• Tritanium PL
• Posterior Lumbar Cage
• Trident® II Acetabular System
• Triathlon Tritanium Cementless total knee system
• 3D-Printed Tritanium® C Anterior Cervical Cage

2. Whom are they making it for?

• The company's main purpose of the application of additive manufacturing is to help surgeons and patients.
• The company offers innovative products and services in Orthopedics, Medical and Surgical, and Neurotechnology and Spine that help improve patient and hospital outcomes.

3. Product in development

• Stryker's next step is to develop a portfolio of patient-specific, 3D printed medical implants, starting with craniomaxillofacial devices.
• Stryker hopes to create a center of excellence to aggregate its 3D printing technology.
• Stryker announced a partnership with GE Additive in which GE will provide new 3-D printing machines, materials, and services for Stryker

HOW DO THEY POSITION THEMSELVES AND THEIR PRODUCTS?

• Stryker’s Tritanium products utilize the capabilities to combine highly porous structures with solid structural elements in designs that cannot be manufactured using other traditional manufacturing techniques.
• Tritanium is the brand name of Stryker’s titanium alloy material and used in their metal powder bed laser sintered 3D printing process which is 21.4 times harder than diamond.
• Compared to traditional metal foam techniques, every element of process capabilities of Stryker’s AM metal porous matrix is created in a computer model before manufacturing, which allows the porous matrix to be specifically engineered for its intended use.
• The metal porous matrix that is created for a given model and size of a particular product is virtually identical to the one which was originally tested and validated.
• Stryker has discovered a design that exceeds the cell in-growth rate of other implants made through conventional methods of manufacturing.
• Stryker team has always targeted end-use with additive manufacturing, as this is the point at which they can have a legitimate impact on patient’s quality of life.
•  Acquisition of Stryker in the additive manufacturing area to become the largest portfolio of 3D printed cages in the market include:
• As of August 2018, Stryker’s 3D printing portfolio also includes products originally produced by Virginia medical device manufacturer K2M, a specialist in the 3D printed production of spinal implants.
• Other notable acquisitions of Stryker in the additive manufacturing area include 'Johnson & Johnson' Medical GmbH‘s purchase of German device manufacturer 'Emerging Implant Technologies' (EIT), the developer of Cellular Titanium technology.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Stryker's application of additive manufacturing is to manufacture previously unmanufacturable geometries, produces minimal material waste, and potentially offers unrivaled product development speed.
• Stryker’s commitment to use additive manufacturing is to develop implants and other medical devices that can have numerous benefits.
• Stryker's use of additive manufacturing is to create highly porous spinal implants that are ‘engineered for bone’.
• With additive manufacturing, the company allows pushing beyond conventional manufacturing techniques to address design complexity and achieve previously unmanufacturable geometries, while delivering the performance, reproducibility, and the quality the customers expect.

1. Honeywell Additive Manufacturing

• Honeywell business areas include aerospace, automation, and control solutions performance materials and technologies.
• Honeywell additive manufacturing (AM) technology focuses on material and process development and prototype fabrication. The advantages of their AM technology include rapid prototyping which aids lead-time development reduction and provides design freedom.
• Honeywell views its AM technology as a game-changer that allows it to decrease the cost of some components, optimize designs, shorten the supply chain and engineering development cycle time.
• Honeywell 3D technologies comprise laser powder bed fusion, direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) and electron beam (EB) melting, and EB powder bed fusion. The company is currently pursuing other AM technologies such as binder jet printing and direct energy deposition (DED).

2. AM Products in Development and their Target Market.

• Honeywell's AM products' target markets include commercial aerospace, UAVs, electronic housings, engine components, hinges, brackets, housings, and spacecraft components.
• The company has FAA’s approval for 18 parts including an engine surge duct and anticipates to attain approval for 14 additional parts in April 2019. It also expects to develop and receive FAA’s approval for 250 3D printed aerospace parts by the end of 2019.
• Honeywell Aerospace 3D Printing of its auxiliary power units (APU) aids timely production and meets quality specifications and is viewed as a key priority for the company. It views itself as being able to address OEM challenges such as vendor difficulties, lead time reduction, quality improvement, and cost reduction using 3D technologies.
• Honeywell Aerospace AM also collaborates on research projects such as the Sigma Labs and Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) Open Manufacturing (OM) program for the development of PrintRite3D technology.

3. Industry/Segment Focus

• Majority of the AM technology focuses on the aerospace industry segment to reduce supply chain disruptions.
• The company is also utilizing the technology in other industries such as national security, Honeywell Federal Solutions for the U.S. Department of Energy, multi-mission national security products, and technical services. The Federal solutions and 3D printing is credited with $125 million in cost avoidance.

4. How They Position Themselves

• Within the additive manufacturing industry, Honeywell focuses on incorporating AM technology to improve, condense, and avail engines faster using 3D printing with minimal focus on reinventing designs.
• According to Honeywell’s Engineer, Donald Godfrey, the company has strategically positioned itself in printing designs, ‘make for additive manufacturing.’ Thus, engaged in printing FAA certified designs including the hiring of vendors specifically for 3D printing. The company also engages in design for additive manufacturing, though the process calls for re-certification of manufactured products
• The company also buys 3D printers from third-parties and utilizes the technology in its supply chain to increase its efficiency.
• Their 3D operations have their aerospace headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, with facilities named ‘Pebbles’, ‘Bamm Bamm’, and ‘Luke Skywalker’. Other AM labs are located in Brno, Shanghai, and Bangalore.

5. Recent Company Development

• Honeywell approved Sintavia LLC, a Tier One metal additive manufacturer to manufacture components for Honeywell aerospace such as gas turbine auxiliary power units (APUs), turboshaft engines, turbofan engines, and engine control valves using powder bed fusion technology.
• The company partnered other technology companies to fund the establishment of the AM Research and Innovation Hub at Arizona State University Polytechnic campus. The hub is expected to aid research in AM, prototyping, and materials development research.
• Other ongoing collaborations include air force, high-temperature alloy materials affordability initiative, DARPA, and Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME).

Findings

A. How Pratt & Whitney Uses Additive Manufacturing

• Pratt & Whitney uses additive manufacturing in producing aircraft engines.
• Specifically, the company uses additive manufacturing in producing its PurePower PW1500G engines.
• The PurePower PW1500G engines that Pratt & Whitney produces via additive manufacturing are made exclusively for the aircraft manufacturer Bombardier's "CSeries aircraft family."
• Pratt & Whitney is "a vertically integrated additive manufacturing producer." As such, the company uses its "own metal powder source and the printers necessary to create parts using this innovative technology [additive manufacturing]."
• Throughout the previous 25 years, Pratt & Whitney has used additive manufacturing to produce over "100,000 prototype parts . . . and hundreds more to support the PurePower Geared Turbofan engine family's development."
• In July 2018, Pratt & Whitney "announced its involvement in an industry team developing and testing additively manufactured turbomachinery components. The team, which includes Norsk Titanium, the Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory (NDTL) and TURBOCAM International, is currently exploring the applicability of Norsk Titanium's Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) material to turbomachinery applications which will include the first additively manufactured rotating part for Pratt & Whitney development programs."
•  Two engine parts that Pratt & Whitney produces via additive manufacturing are synch ring brackets and compressor stators.
• Throughout the previous 30 years, the company has worked with multiple "additive manufacturing systems suppliers" such as Objet, MarkerBot, EOS, and Arcam.

B. How Pratt & Whitney Positions Itself & Its Products Related to Additive Manufacturing

1. Industry Leader

• First and foremost, Pratt & Whitney positions itself as an industry leader with regard to additive manufacturing, as the company has repeatedly cited its pioneering achievements with additive manufacturing. According to a Pratt & Whitney executive: "As a technology leader, we [Pratt & Whitney] are intrigued by the potential of additive manufacturing to support our suite of technologies and benefits to customers and the global aerospace industry."
• Pratt & Whitney also described its trailblazing work with respect to additive manufacturing in stating that the use of said process has enabled it "to create advanced designs that previously were impossible to produce."
• As an example of Pratt & Whitney's pioneering additive manufacturing work, the company achieved "[t]he first-ever entry into service parts using metal additive manufacturing [which were] . . . produced for . . . [its] pure power PW1500G engines." Those engines were "the first to feature jet engine parts produced using additive manufacturing."
• Another reason why Pratt & Whitney positions itself as an industry leader is because it was "the first to use additive manufacturing technology to produce compressor stators and synch ring brackets for the production engines." Those "parts will be the first product produced using 3D printing powder bed additive manufacturing."

2. Educator of the Future Manufacturing Workforce

• Pratt & Whitney also positions itself as an educator of the future manufacturing workforce, including for additive manufacturing. One way that the company does so is through the Pratt & Whitney Additive Manufacturing Innovation Center.
• The company is also an industry leader with respect to that center, as the center "is the first of its kind in the Northeast region to work with metal powder bed technologies." In addition to one of its stated purposes of helping educate the future manufacturing workforce, the center (which required a $4.5 million investment) also benefits the company by allowing it to further develop its capabilities for additive manufacturing.

3. Elite-Quality Products

• Pratt & Whitney positions its products related to additive manufacturing as of elite quality. According to the company, "quality is foremost in every step" of the additive manufacturing process.
• A Pratt & Whitney executive explained the resulting benefits to the company by using additive manufacturing in the following statement: "It [additive manufacturing] dramatically reduces production time, from design, to prototyping, to finished product and it decreases waste and consumption of raw materials. Furthermore, it allows precision production of parts with complex geometry with reduced tooling, and permits multiple parts from an assembly to be made in one integrated piece."
• Furthermore, Pratt & Whitney stated that its utilization of additive manufacturing has yielded the positive results of "up to 15 months lead-time savings compared to conventional manufacturing processes and up to 50% weight reduction in a single part."
• Another way that the company positions its products related to additive manufacturing as of elite quality is through the fact that it is "a vertically integrated additive manufacturing producer." As such, the company uses its "own metal powder source and the printers necessary to create parts using" additive manufacturing. As a result, the company notes the fact that it is able to "complete the entire additive process at its own locations," giving it quality control over the process.
• The company also combines the aforementioned positioning angles (industry leader and elite-quality products) into one in stating that it "pioneered the development and production of powder metal nickel-based super alloys."

C. Additional Information

•  This video published by Pratt & Whitney explains the company's use of additive manufacturing within its operations. The second half of the video explains the steps of the company's additive manufacturing process in detail.

Your research team applied the following strategy:

FINDINGS

Siemens Additive manufacturing activities

• The company's 3D-printed products are targeted for companies in the aerospace sector, automotive and energy sectors.
• Siemens opened a new additive manufacturing facility in Worcester which focuses on the creation of turbine components.
• Siemens and Materials Solutions successfully 3D printed a new functional component for the SGT5-9000HL turbine through the use of 3D printing technologies.
• The company also digitally recreated the missing parts of a 100-year-old Ruston Hornsby car, print and install them on the car to make it work again.
• The company is in the process of developing AM-solutions for turbine blades, turbine vanes, burner nozzles and radial impellers.
• By 2025, the company plans to manufacture 200 components by the means of 3D printing in the energy sector.
• Siemens Mobility in Erlangen opened a competence centre for additive manufacturing that designs and produces spare parts for rail transport and also offers advice to customers.
• Through the use of 3D printing, Siemens is making laser metal depositions more effectively.
• The company uses additive manufacturing to provide software and automation products and services for the manufacturing industry.
• Siemens launched Additive Manufacturing (AM) Process Simulation solution for predicting distortion during 3D printing.

Market Positioning

• Siemens is regarded as a world leader in industrializing additive manufacturing, driving productivity, and getting complex 3D printed parts right the first time.
• Siemens claims that through its Materials Solutions facility, it is able to leverage their advanced user expertise to bring their solutions to external customers.
• The company claims to be a pioneer in additive manufacturing in the gas and power sector.
• The company manufactured the first full-load engine tests for gas turbine blades (SGT-400 Blade 1) using additive manufacturing.
• Siemens currently provides a comprehensive portfolio of market-leading solutions to fully digitalize AM, from design and engineering software to cutting-edge simulation tools, full machine and shop-floor automation.
• The company's current R&D focus is on developing more innovative AM-applications which are cost-efficient, fast and seamlessly integrated and it also plans to support a worldwide printer cloud for spare parts on-demand from digital twins in the next 10 years.
• By developing next-generation products, engineering services and digital solutions, Siemens intends to be at the forefront of the industrialization of additive manufacturing.
• Siemens became the first company to successfully achieve commercial installation and continuing safe operation of a 3D-printed part in a nuclear power plant.

DISRUPTORS/DISRUPTIONS IN THE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

1. CARBON, INC.

• The company's official website can be accessed here.
• Carbon disrupts how polymer 3D is manufactured with its Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP) process and Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology.

• Carbon, Inc. has introduced a 3D Print plastic component called Digital Light Synthesis (DLS). It combines their continuous printing technology together with programmable liquid resins. In turn, it will create parts with the same surface finish and strength of injection molded parts. The creation of this part is fast because due to its continuity, compared to most 3D Printing machines that build up "one layer at a time with pauses in-between". This continuous process is not only fast, but it also avoids the stair-steps created with layered methods.
• The results of this process are textured surfaces and a unique surface finish.
• The other technology that produces quality parts is through programmable materials. The 3D Printer creates the desired geometry of the part by using light to shape the first material. Then an oven is used to harden the heat activated resin.
• Another significant advantage of including heat activated resins is that they offer a much broader material selection than light activated resins.

• Carbon has had a meteoric rise, with key partnerships with companies of the likes of Adidas, Ford, and Lamborghini.
• Since its founding in 2014, Carbon's estimated market cap is $1.7 billion.

• According to Carbon's CEO Joseph DeSimone, the company is open to possibilities of making products made from multiple materials with different properties and colors directly injected into different parts of the design. For example, they could make dentures with separate materials for the base and the teeth in one process instead of gluing the two components together.
• Products that are easier to recycle. One example is the dental model people wear to gradually straighten their teeth, which end up in landfills today.
•  Larger products that do not sacrifice the fine details and smooth surfaces the company can create today.

2. MELD MANUFACTURING CORPORATION

• The company's official website can be accessed here.
• In April 2018, MELD introduced its large scale B8 machine challenging the typical powder bed metal 3D printing process with the use of solid-state fabrication process based on friction stir welding.

• Recognized as an R&D 100 finalist in August, MELD™ is a revolution for additive repair and manufacturing of metals. In traditional methods, materials were melted, which introduces weakness. But MELD is a no-melt process for metal, resulting in stronger, better parts.
• No melting also offers the potential to work with unweldable materials. This freedom offers the ability to rethink how particular materials are used for various applications and in what combinations. MELD™ is highly scalable that allows it to make larger parts than competitive processes. "It is also the first system of its kind for building large-scale 3D parts."
• MELD™ is the only technology that is able to scale and build or repair very large parts and can put quite a bit of material on a very thin plate without distortion.
• MELD™ technology supports the widest range of materials, whereas there are AM machines that only accept one or maybe two or three materials.
• MELD™ is the only technology demonstrated to recycle materials.

• MELD Manufacturing Corporation’s patented MELD™ technology received a special Market Disruptor award.
• MELD™ receive the 2018 RAPID + TCT Innovation Award, a recognition of the most innovative new technology with industry-changing potential.
• MELD™ won first-place in the Robotics/Automation/Manufacturing category of the Society of Automotive Engineers’ (SAE) Create the Future Design Contest.

• MELD™ will continue to push additive manufacturing beyond the idea of just part fabrication to the ability to add wear resistance or ballistics resistance coatings or add features to customize, strengthen, or repair a part.
• MELD™ will be launching another equipment machine platform to add to our line which has significantly bigger build space, measured in cubic feet rather than inches.

3. NEXA3D

• The company's official website can be accessed here.

• Nexa3D has developed its own technology, the Lubricant Sublayer Photo-curing (LSPc) through its LSPc technology.
• The machine has a self-lubricated membrane that solves the problem of fast printing from a few different angles.
• It is 40 times faster than traditional 3D printing.

• Nexa3D reduces production times and offer greater part accuracy.

• Nexa3D is focused on producing new flexible and ABS-like materials, as well as materials that can give you longer UV and temperature resistance.
• Nexa3D is trying to break this paradigm by using smart tools in our software that will enable you to use it at a click of a button.

4. BLOCKCHAIN INTEGRATION

•  Blockchain will disrupt the traditional supply chain of 3D printing.

• The shift alters the nature of supply chains by taking the place of traditional networks with a few original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers with an extensive ecosystem of potential subcontractors and manufacturers.
• It also makes the supply chain more dynamic and offers a convenient source of supply.
• The near real-time settlement and exchange functionality of the blockchain allows for instantaneous design changes in the 3D printing industry.
• The traditional supply chain of the 3D printing industry is decentralized and the blockchain integrates this decentralized supply chain.
• According to GE, the current systems for additive manufacturing lack verification and validation systems for ensuring that objects produced by the process are appropriately certified.

• GE filed a patent application for the use of blockchain in the use of verifying and validating 3D printed objects in its supply chain.
• The Genesis of Things project fuses blockchain and 3D printing technology, creating a decentralized global factory that allows users to find and contract geographically relevant 3D printers that meet their production needs.
• Blockchain-based 3D printing startup and Italy-based Politronica Srl, is creating a tokenized global distributed 3D printing factory.

•  Prototype digital additive manufacturing platform was developed by thyssenkrupp and IBM that combines the use of Industrial Data Space (IDS) technology and IBM Blockchain to enable a higher degree of automation within the additive manufacturing process, as well as provide data security and data sovereignty.
• In the prototype, the customer, the additive manufacturing engineering service provider, and the printing service provider are implemented as peers and future project phases will include the further development of the ecosystem and the extension of functionalities and use cases.
•  ISF Incubator announced in May 2019 that it has formed a joint venture with NTUitive, the innovation and enterprise company of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore to form a new 3D printing startup called Secur3DP+.
•  Secur3DP+ said that it has acquired certain patents and patent applications related to 3D printing and it has access to NTU’s expertise in 3D printing and blockchain.