Platform for the metalworking industry
Robotization and additive manufacturing on the rise
Brice Bühlmann, managing director.

Robotics and additive manufacturing on the rise

"Robotics and additive manufacturing will continue to grow," states Brice Buhlmann, manager of the family-owned Buhlmann company, which has been in the market for more than 90 years. These trends offer several advantages.

"It is becoming increasingly difficult to attract the right technicians to operate machines. We expect this problem to grow even further. For example, companies are finding it increasingly difficult to fill lathe or milling vacancies. One way to solve this is to invest in automation and robotization," says Brice Buhlmann. Among other things, his engineering company sells machine tools for machining steel. 

Increase in robotization

"To support companies, in the Benelux we distribute an automation solution that is applicable to almost any lathe or milling machine with a simple interface. We can use it to convert existing lathes and milling machine from shift work to 24/7 production. With one robot it is possible to produce faster and increase production. Robotization will continue to increase in the metal sector, I expect."

DM Shop System
Desktop Metal Shop SystemTM - Metal Binder Jetting System.

Additive manufacturing

In addition to robotization, additive manufacturing is also growing in importance. "The interest in 3D printed finished products is increasing even further. We are also following this trend by distributing additive manufacturing machines for small to medium series, among others. We offer industrial metal 3D printing solutions for prototyping and series production, industrial state-of-the-art polymer 3D printing machines, and we also offer solutions for ceramic materials."

Complementary techniques

Additive manufacturing will not supplant traditional operations, Buhlmann argues. "My expectation is that existing technologies such as turning and milling will remain and improve even further. In addition, additive manufacturing will take over part of production. Indeed, this technique offers the possibility of producing shapes that are not possible with traditional technologies. Additive manufacturing can lead to improved design or final products that are more efficient or stronger compared to other techniques."

New materials 

New materials are also emerging. "We offer the ability to fine-tune new materials - assemblies of metal or ceramic material. If you need a special material for a specific application - often small parts - a 3D printer offers a solution. Some materials used to be unsuitable for industry to machine or apply due to their mechanical properties, but with additive manufacturing this is possible. In the future, we will see more finished products on the market with a customized design in a new material. Additive manufacturing will not supplant traditional machining methods, but is complementary to them."

VERSA 945 RM ERL Ret
Automation machining center Fehlmann Versa 945

More benefits

The increase in automation and robotization and 3D printing technology, which is becoming more mature, are leading to even more benefits. "Today, a large part of production takes place in China, but the above trends mean that we can bring some production back to Europe. This is a great prospect, not only for our economy but also with regard to the footprint of products."  

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