DDM News: FORMING PIPE ASSEMBLY

As innovative partner, Melotte has significant expertise on developing solutions within the scope of Direct Digital Manufacturing.
Herewith we are presenting you such a state-of-the-art project, called “Forming Pipe Assembly” which Melotte just finished for one of its customers. It is a fantastic example to prove how Additive Manufacturing helps to reduce waste, weight and emissions during the production process.

This assembly of high quality material Inconel 718 components is thin (only 1 mm) and has free form transport channels inside. Due to its geometrical complexity it is impossible to cast.

In comparison to the conventional part equivalent we profit material savings as well as savings on production cost and time. To be continued...

On the picture (from left to right): Mario Fleurinck, CEO Melotte NV & Bram and John, two members of the Melotte DDM Team.

"Let the Chefs meet the Chiefs", Burgundian Futurism.

Belgian gastronomy is world-wide promoted by the Flanders Taste Foundation. When they organized the Flemish Primitives event last February, chefs and scientists gathered in Belgium to unveil new kitchen technology and set culinary standards for the future.
Former prime minister Yves Leterme's idea to have entrepreneurs (Chiefs) and chefs de cuisine (Chefs) build the strong brand "Belgium", was caught by Mr. Kris Sierens (BeforeTheHype). He created an image book called Belgian CHEFS bringing 25 tasteful success stories together."This book clearly demonstrates that we Belgians are second to no one in the world when it comes to entrepeneurship and gastronomy". Each story is related to a large, medium or small innovative company in a particular business sector and to the CEOs who lead them. Some of the participating chefs are already top chefs and others are relatively unknown talents.

The company Melotte has been chosen to represent the new business sector "Direct Digital Manufacturing".
"By giving up its identity as just another toolmaker that provided precision components, Melotte has turned itself into the world's first direct digital manufacturer" ... "Melotte uses cutting edge laser technology to "grow" machine parts from powdered metals."

Mario Fleurinck (CEO Melotte, Zonhoven) and Dimitry Lysens (Magis, Tongeren) were brought together: "both have the knowledge of how to bring the right ingredients together to create the highest possible quality. The interaction between two creative leaders is used to create a unique gourmet recipe as well as a recipe for business success."
"It is remarkable how two people who look and act so differently at their first meeting, can rapidly discover that what they do and what drives them is very similar."

"They both exhibit a kind of permanent introspective criticism when performing their primary task. No result is ever entirely good enough, or in Dimitry's case, even close to good enough. Before a new product is finished at Melotte or a new dish is served in Magis, they are already thinking of ways to improve it. "Both have a similar view on being a chef and a sharp vision of their role. "They describe it as a constant search for equilibrium between steering and cooperating. It means leading a team and - as much as possible - being a part of it a the same time. Both agree that this is only possible when you have a clear vision of where you intend to go and are able to communicate it."...

Among other fine stories in the book "CHEFS", Imec and The Chocolate Line caught my attention. Imec is an independant research centre - regularly working together with Melotte on cutting edge technology projects - specializing in nanoelectronics and nanotechnology. Chef Jeroen Meus sees a similar evolution in gastronomy with a growing trend to cook on a more detailed level: "Products developed in the molecular cuisine laboratories can help." "The Belgian chocolate story is one of an ongoing success and the reason for that are inventive people like Dominique Persoone (The Chocolate Line)."

These days it becomes more and more clear that being successful is equal to being innovative, creative and above all changing ideas with inspiring people. May the cross exchange project Belgian CHEFS be inspiring to all of you, inside as well as outside the kitchen.

Melotte CLEANTECH AMBASSADOR

After winning the ITM Award in the category "Best Practice in Manufacturing" last year and the Voka Chamber of Commerce Innovation Award 2009, Melotte was selected by the Belgian Cleantechplatform to become a Cleantech Ambassador.

Cleantechplatform.be is a project of the University of Hasselt (Belgium) together with the investment company LRM who started a project for stimulating and extending Cleantech activities in the province of Limburg and the region of Flanders (Belgium) by corroborating interaction and co-operation between companies, investors, the authorities, consumers and knowledge centers. The platform is looking for durable innovation to optimally use economic opportunities and possibilities of environment as well as energy technology.

Melotte is a Belgian company worldwide active in development and manufacturing of high-precision parts for the biomedical, petrochemical and nuclear industry, aeronautics and tooling. Besides this business Melotte acts as an incubation center for new technology and is a pioneer in Direct Digital Manufacturing. Starting from powder metals the company produces parts by laser technology in its digital factory.

Cleantechplatform recognizes the foundation of Melotte’s successful future, meaning a well-considered combination of advanced conventional production methods, Digital Design, Additive Manufacturing Processes and state-of-the-art finishing technologies within the frame of Melotte’s company vision “Technologies to prevent Global Warming”.
Melotte’s contribution to fight global warming is the maximum reduction of energy consumption by means of manufacture efficiency rather than investments in the production of green energy. The company has put this into practice since the recent renovation of the office building according to the principles of Passiv House. Optimization of the building envelope with recyclable materials, balanced ventilation and heat recuperation of the laser machines to warm the meeting rooms and offices proof this every day.

Melotte on CANVAS - 29/12 at 10.10 pm

In August Melotte published "Light weight solutions based on DDM Technology" and "The revolutionary e-Texturing in Digital Manufacturing" on this blog.

Today we are proud to present live images of the development, design and manufacturing of the mono-block full titanium lightweight steering wheel of the Belgian "Umicar Inspire" Solar car. Now Melotte Direct Digital Manufacturing is in the picture thanks to a documentary on Belgian television about 14 students' adventure participating in the World Solar Challenge for Solar Cars in Australia.

During the last 6 months a television crew filmed these students as well as their sponsors which are all Belgian high tech companies.
On http://video.canvas.be/solar-race-australie-afl-1-innovatief-stuur you will see the fragment where the project highlights Melotte's DDM participation.

Melotte's CEO, Mr Mario Fleurinck, and his team take this opportunity to wish all blog readers a MERRY CHRISTMAS and CREATIVE & INSPIRING 2010.

Melotte wins VOKA INNOVATION AWARD 2009

On the 8th of December last, during the successful and crowded Open Innovation Forum, the Voka - Chamber of Commerce Limburg - presented the Voka Innovation Award to Melotte.

Last year Voka started this new tradition of awarding an innovative company in Limburg calling attention to innovative products, services and processes developed in Limburg. On the other hand the organisation wants to inspire trade and industry by good real practice and encourage to innovate efficiently.

A jury of 7 experts analysed the 17 candidates thoroughly based on some well-considered questions: “Is it an innovative organisation?”, “Is the project well defined, surprising and inspiring?”,”Does the project have market potential?”, “Will the project or company support the image intensification of Limburg as innovative and creative region, nationally as well as internationally?”

After an intensive deliberation the jury selected 6 nominees of which the company Melotte received the highest score at the end.

The jury was impressed by Melotte’s international innovation approach of products and processes. Besides conventional production methods the company’s focus is on manufacturing high-precision parts by means of a complete digital process based on Additive Manufacturing* technologies (* using metal powder Melotte builds products through laser technology).

All positive aspects of Additive Manufacturing i.e. freedom of form, precision, micro dimensions, speed and environment together with the international roll out of Melotte’s new business model in promising markets were tasted well by the jury.

It was a great honour for Mario Fleurinck, CEO of Melotte NV, to receive the award (designed by PHL-student Lore Langendries) from Ms. Ingrid Lieten, Vice-Minister-President of the Flemish Government, Flemish Minister for Innovation, Public Investment, Media and Poverty Reduction.

Leading Belgian magazine "Trends" published rewarding article about Melotte

http://www.melotte.be/MELOTTE/EN/COMPANY/NEWS/29092009.htm

With a technology to produce machine parts from powder Melotte shifts the paradigm on industrial traditions of metal manufacturing in Zonhoven (Belgium). So revolutionary that even low-wage countries cannot compete.

In Zonhoven Melotte’s CEO, Mr Mario Fleurinck, points at the laser robot that in no time produces precision machine parts, cardiac valves and other medical implants layer by layer from fine titanium powder, called Layered Manufacturing.

Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM) is part of Melotte’s strategic diversification and is considered an innovative complement to the existing high-precision production apparatus. The company works on projects for customers from US, South-Africa, Saudi-Arabia, Malaysia and even China where DDM serves integrally finished products.
The DDM experience of Melotte demonstrates that industrial production flocking to low-wage countries can be considerably reduced by working on an efficient innovation model with interference in design and production methods.
“As digital factory Melotte uses technology which will be very common within fifteen to twenty years.” So the next years Melotte’s CEO wants to go further and build a complete new industrial sector. Surely it is not his intention to produce for the whole world in Zonhoven because this would be contradictory to the vision that materials as well as products need to be transported as little as possible. For that reason subsidiaries will be set up worldwide under Melotte’s flag in order to produce parts close to the end user.

Terry Wohlers from Colorado, an authority in additive or layered manufacturing calls the performance of Melotte impressive. Therefore he invites Mr Fleurinck as guest speaker on the 11th Annual International Wohlers Conference “The Future of Additive Manufacturing” in Frankfurt on December 4 next.

See http://www.euromold.com/index.php?id=115 for more information.

Those of you who are anxious to learn more about Melotte's DDM there is another possibility at MIDEST - Expo 2009 where you can join Mr Fleurinck's lecture about "Direct Digital Manufacturing as Strategic element in advanced Tooling Solutions at Melotte" on Thursday, 19 November 2009 from 4.00 pm till 5.00 pm, l' Espace Conférences 2 (Stand 6 D 7), Paris Nord Villepinte - France.

Layered Manufacturing Association on Linked

A few months ago we launched our Layered Manufacturing Association on Linked. We're absoluely happy with the number of participants today. The Association aims at stimulating cross exchange on layered manufacturing processes and interaction betwee n players worldwide.

Everyone is welcome, we simply ask an open mind and the right balance between publicity and added value. The group is mixed; industry, academic specialists from all over the world get in contact.

Feel free to join and let's discuss and further develop the excited Additive, Layered Manufacturing and Direct Digital Manufacturing market.

Titanium Light-weight / Thin Walled (0,4 mm) OEM parts

Project Purpose: For a leading OEM active in the textile industry we've run a project based on "Industrialisation and mass customized production" of fingers used in yarn processing industries. The part flips, at maximum speed, 3000 times/minute over 180°. In this project a combination of lightweight product re-engineering and “mass” customization is made. The contact angle and the finger quantity change depending on the yarn characteristics. The re-engineered part is hybrid, customized and light-weight.

This project shows the advantages of Thin Walled products in highly dynamic operational environments. The fact that the contact angle has become variable offer the customer the possibility to add value in the process and to integrate with the end-user.

Project Features:

- 3D modeling and business process engineering of thin walled tubes

- Automated contact angle calculation (OEM) and mechanical property analysis (Conventional vs DDM Manufactured)
- FEA analysis
- Complete Part production and assembly from Solid to Model (Direct Manufacturing, coating & high-end component finishing)
- Industrialisation R&D and process definition, 1400 parts per year.