Arevo to Supply Aqua 3D Printing Platform & Composites to Japan’s AGC, Inc.

Silicon Valley’s AREVO and AGC, Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, have recently announced a dynamic partnership, benefitting both companies in manufacturing endeavors. AGC will be the first company to install AREVO’s industrial composite 3D printing equipment in Japan, offering manufacturing-as-a-service (MaaS).

Known for its specialty in creating composites for digital fabrication, AREVO will be providing its ‘Aqua’ platform for use by AGC. As a world leader in glass solutions, AGC will be able to supply their own clients with even stronger and better components than before—serving applications such as chemicals, ceramics, automotive, display glass providers, and more.

The Aqua platform is the first continuous fiber 3D printing system that can print parts up to one-meter cubic volume. The Aqua Printer, based on direct energy deposition (DED), consists of a closed-loop process based on machine learning.

With a focus on carbon fiber composites, AREVO has invested research and development in software, robotics, and studying materials. Composites include a high-performance material mixed with a PEEK (polyetheretherketone) thermoplastic polymer matrix and aerospace-grade carbon fiber.

They have also found a way to make such materials affordable, along with decreased time in design cycles for many different industries. In a recent press release sent to 3DPrint.com, the two companies explain that this new process has been proven to possess the ‘highest mechanical properties and lowest voids,’ out of all other comparisons. The composite material also offers the following features:

• Meets FST (Fire, Smoke, Toxicity) requirements for aerospace and defense applications
• Outstanding resistance to harsh chemicals
• Excellent mechanical strength
• Superior dimensional stability

The system is also accompanied by software featuring optimized fiber orientation, prediction of mechanical performance, virtual capabilities for monitoring, and automated quality control. Overall, the technology can meet rigorous industry standards for the creation of aerospace components, to include:

• Wing components
• Fuselage parts
• Engine parts
• Cabin seat frames
• Cabin partitions

“This is a landmark achievement in the ongoing evolution of manufacturing and the Industry 4.0 movement,” said Hemant Bheda, Co-Founder and Chairman of AREVO.  “We are all working towards super-efficient and sustainable processes with localized on-demand manufacturing.  We look forward to working with AGC to scale our MaaS platform in many industrial sectors.”

AREVO is also now working with two major customers within the bicycling agency—and has been rewarded for their hard work with endorsements from designers in both the US and the Netherlands. Hemant Bheda will be at the Silicon Valley – New Japan Summit 2019, held on the Stanford University campus on Tuesday, November 19. He will be giving a presentation on AREVO’s technology and manufacturing processes.

While collaborations within the 3D printing realm bring even greater power to innovation or users around the world, so does the creation of new composites. When an initial material is accompanied by an additive, specific components may be strengthened, whether with examples like polymer nanocomposites, glass composites, or even substances like lignin.

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[Source / Images: Press release Arevo/AGC]