Arcam AB fka AMAVF

[flying_trader]

Target Markets Get Smaller...

Those who don't concern themselves with the competition need not read any further...

One of the parts we need for the little startup project I am involved with needs to be really strong and really light and really cheap... We have looked into using Aluminum and Inconel steel but welding is involved to make the part and that just doesn't look cool...

While composites have been around a long time I didn;t think we could use them as I thought they were in the exotic categories... well, at least to my surprise they are really affordable now... seems that printing with Nylon reinforced with Kevlar or Carbon is stronger than 6061-T6 Aluminum per pound and now quite affordable. You can get a desktop printer for this exotic material for less than $6k new...and the material is about $16 per pound... not bad..

Here is a good read on where we stand today with 3D printers on Carbon Reinforced Nylon...

http://www.3ders.org/articles/20160229-the-strongest-players-in-carbon-fiber-3d-printing-today.html

What's even better is that my injection molding guy says he can get Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRPs) for use in his injection molding machines so once we have the part the way we want it we just have a Mold made (by DiSanto would be nice) and then we can go into cheap serial production of the part...

CFRPs are about to turn the auto industry on it's head and I suspect the same is probably true for Airplane structural parts too... anywhere you need high strength, low weight and low cost... Here is a good article on that angle..

https://plastics-car.com/Blog/Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced-Plastics.html

We are having our part made by one of the many people who have put their machines out for hire on the internet, 2 day turnaround...

While Composites don't currently pose any threat to Arcam's bread and butter markets of Blades and Implants they are drawing the circle of economically possible uses for EBM a little tighter...

As I have said before they need to be making hay while the sun is shining on them...find new uses and new markets right now...

OK.. let the daggers fly... I am sure there is something that looks like a "conclusion" to someone or is hypercritical to Arcam in here somewhere...


Cheers