NTT DATA and Alloyed Partner to Boost 3D Metal Printing

NTT DATA, a $16.86 billion Japanese IT giant, has announced a significant capital alliance with Alloyed Limited, a leader in metallurgical research and metal 3D printing. The partnership aims to enhance the design and manufacturing of high-tech components and support the expansion of business operations.

Part owned by the $87 billion Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, NTT DATA is the largest IT services company in Japan. This latest collaboration is part of NTT DATA’s broader strategy to innovate and improve manufacturing through additive manufacturing (AM) techniques via its NTT DATA XAM Technologies business, established in 2020. As discussed in an overview article by Sigmon Lee, NTT DATA XAM has been a prominent 3D printing bureau in Japan, offering engineering and production services, as well as selling EOS systems.

More or less a spin-out of Oxford University, Alloyed is a metals development and production company. NTT DATA XAM Technologies and Alloyed began working together in 2020, when the two began optimizing AM processes and developing materials to meet the demands of high-stakes industries like aerospace.

This latest news builds on the partnership to further advance material development for extreme aerospace and industrial applications, manufacture challenging materials like copper, and improving overall productivity. In this regard, Alloyed’s AM design software will be implemented to cut costs and streamline productivity, while advanced monitoring will be used to improve defect detection and correction.

Kenichi Mizunuma, President & CEO, NTT DATA XAM Technologies: “We are delighted to announce our capital alliance with Alloyed, leveraging their cutting-edge expertise in new material development originating from the University of Oxford. We eagerly anticipate deepening our business collaboration and contributing to the technological innovation of our manufacturing clients. By integrating Alloyed’s outstanding knowledge in alloy development, extensive material data, thermal management design capabilities, and more, with our proficiency in quality certification and digitalization through advanced process monitoring, we have gained a significant competitive edge. This partnership underscores our commitment to advancing AM technology as a viable production method, positioning us to contribute to the revitalization of the domestic and global markets.”

Michael Holmes, CEO of Alloyed: “I am delighted to announce this comprehensive partnership with NTT DATA XAM Technologies, which Alloyed has long considered one of the leading practitioners of AM technology in the world. Alloyed’s technologies are about achieving more and more performance with less and less metal, and that theme is highly consistent with Japan’s industrial imperatives. I’m convinced NTT DATA XAM Technologies is the right partner to bring this technology to the Japanese market.”

The Japanese market has become significantly more active in AM over the last five years. Of course, most notably has been Mitsubishi Group firm Nikon, which acquired metal 3D printer manufacturer SLM Solutions and other companies. More recently, 3DEO received an investment from the Development Bank of Japan and legacy 2D printing firm EPSON.

These are just two pieces of a much larger trend, of which NTT DATA is a part. Interestingly, Alloyed additionally collaborates with other key players in the Japanese metals industry, Hitachi Metals, a subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd; JX Advanced Metals, owned by Japanese global petroleum and metals conglomerate ENEOS; and Taniobis, also owned by ENEOS. ENEOS, in turn, is part of the Mitsubishi Group’s keiretsu, a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings.

This news suggests that not only is the Japanese AM industry globalized, but it is also becoming more complex. No longer are Japanese companies only investing in the technology in a piecemeal manner, but with strategic purposes. In the case of NTT DATA XAM, the company has gone from engineering and distributing machines to advancing niche metals for specific customer applications.