June 16, 2017
Printing in metal is continuing to move out of labs and into Australian factories, though for the moment it remains in high-value niches. According to Ben Batagol, Business Development Manager at Amaero, adopters of metals additive manufacturing are going to increasingly diverge into two distinct camps: those focussed on getting volume up and cost down; and those chasing high-quality applications. For Batagol’s company, the focus has always been on the second, particularly in aerospace. “We took a conscious decision that high-value aerospace work is really our niche,” said Batagol. “And four years ago that’s what we said we wanted to target.” Amaero has earned a reputation as a success story in these early days of Australian companies using additive manufacturing. It opened a French facility last November, and has a growing collection of US companies in its order book. “That’s a growing presence for us,” Batagol added. “Ironically, the Australian market is one of the smallest markets we deal with in the world.…