SAP, APWORKS and Heraeus Partner for Support of Distributed Manufacturing and Development of Scalmalloy

Last year, SAP announced its new Distributed Manufacturing platform, which allows manufacturers to collaborate with 3D printing companies and OEMs to accelerate the introduction of additive manufacturing into production and supply chains. Now SAP has partnered with APWORKS and Heraeus in support of the platform. APWORKS, which recently became a subsidiary of Premium AEROTEC, announced the integration of its new platform, AMXpert, into SAP’s software offerings at Hannover Messe. The tool helps users identify components that can potentially be 3D printed in metal.

“Through this collaboration, we—together with SAP and the Manufacturing Network—have taken the next logical step towards industrializing metallic 3D printing,” said Sven Lauxmann of APWORKS. “By working as a team, we have developed a way for customers to test mass data for printability and to bring together the experts and the customers on the virtual platform. Worth noting here is a self-learning database, which is used primarily to intelligently assess printability, orientation, and thus costs.”

The new tool should be available online for numerous materials in a few weeks.

APWORKS is also known for Scalmalloy, its aluminum-magnesium-scandium alloy developed specifically for metal 3D printing, known for being stronger and more ductile than other aluminum alloy powders. The material works on all powder bed SLM 3D printers in operation, and has a lot of promise for numerous applications in the automotive, aerospace, robotics and other industries. APWORKS has partnered with other companies to further develop and distribute the powder, and now it is working with Heraeus Additive Manufacturing to do the same.

Heraeus Additive Manufacturing is a leader in the development of new metal alloys. The Additive Manufacturing division of technology group Heraeus specializes in the production and validation of metal powders for additive manufacturing, and should prove to be a strong asset in the further development and distribution of Scalmalloy as a sales and cooperation partner.

“Together with APWORKS, our goal is to commercialize Scalmalloy, to find new potential uses, and to generate interest for the product in various different industries,” said Tobias Caspari, Head of Heraeus Additive Manufacturing. “We aim to show everything that is possible with a material like Scalmalloy and with 3D printing in general. The cooperation with SAP Distributed Manufacturing is an important element in achieving this goal.”

Scalmalloy’s uses have already been demonstrated in the production of cars and motorcycles, and its strength is close to that of titanium. It’s also highly resistant to corrosion, giving it advantages over other aluminum alloys and granting it status as sort of a super-material. With help from partners like Heraeus Additive Manufacturing and others, APWORKS will be able to further refine and enhance SCALMALLOY, and see it used in a wider array of additive manufacturing applications.

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