During last edition you were among the protagonists of piùAdditive at BI-MU. What are your observations about the exhibition and the initiative?
We never miss the appointment with BI-MU! As the leading trade fair for the sector in Italy, the event represents a substantial part of the industrial processing sector and facilitates the relationship between manufacturing companies and users. In this exhibition scenario, additive technology, in all respects productive for the metal industry, finds its natural place and, through the piùAdditive exhibition project, the right visibility.
You have confirmed that you will participate again this year. Do you have any special expectations?
I expect an edition rich in technological content and thus appealing to the operators of the manufacturing industry. I am also very curious about the visitors’ feedback regarding additive technologies. In recent years, the interest in the field has certainly grown but has also adapted to the market trends. Therefore, our presence will allow us to closely observe the evolution of the industry and understand how the operators’ demands are progressing.
What will you present at your stand?
We will show in particular one of our new technologies, the TEMPUS scanning algorithm, which was introduced into our offering very recently, in late 2023, and thus featured at BI-MU for the first time. This solution enables the speed of production of additive components to be accelerated to double it and it can be either fitted on our existing machines or integrated on new ones. Even if I cannot reveal any more details on our stand presentation, you will see that we will present other new products for our lines of industrial measuring instruments.
| “… in BI-MU, additive technology, in all respects productive for the metal industry, finds its natural place and, through the piùAdditive exhibition project, the right visibility …” |
The additive sector has very positive and growing data. What are your predictions for the future of the sector?
The interest in the additive sector is still very high and diversified. On one hand, in recent years, we have seen a consolidation in the activities of companies that had already introduced the use of additive manufacturing solutions in their production, and on the other hand, in the past year, many new enterprises started to approach these applications. I am confident that this positive trend will continue in both directions in the near future and, consequently, will widen the pool of the users of these new solutions. I cannot yet tell with certainty when this will happen, but I am very hopeful: Italy is full of innovative companies that are ready to take on new technological challenges.
What are your most dynamic application areas and those that will influence your production in the near future?
The well-established motorsports sector is experiencing a remarkable growth, and in the near future there will be a strong development in the aeronautics sector as well. However, when speaking of real dynamism, I can only mention the energy and the medical sectors, areas with strong interest in additive manufacturing. In particular, with regard to the medical field, solutions such as powder-bed laser fusion allow the production of components with features and dimensions suitable for clinical use, with a high degree of customization for the individual patient. In addition to the dental field that has been already widely using additive manufacturing, at the moment, the most active branch is orthopedics, with an increase in the use of additive technologies for the production of prostheses.
What will RENISHAW’s future look like?
“Our company’s vision lies in accelerating the adoption of additive technology for high-volume production and high-quality parts”. This statement by Louise Callanan, director of our division in England, summarizes our current and future mission: that of prioritizing the in-line production of large numbers of components, thus moving away from the idea of a “tailor-made piece” only. We will certainly keep on maintaining high quality and will try to increase the productivity of each machine, thus opening up to new sectors.
Interview released in June 2024.
