Additive Manufacturing
Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM), sometimes called 3D Printing, has come a long way in the last ten years. It is now far beyond the realm of Rapid Prototyping which it is often associated with.
APWORKS is now producing AM parts which are used extensively across a wide range of functional and safety critical applications in the fields of Aerospace, Defence, Space, and Motorsport.
DESIGN
Functional design doesn't need to be boring or ugly. In fact functionally optimised designs have a beauty all of their own, and our design and manufacturing methods often result in products which are aesthetically stunning, even if it wasn't part of your design brief.
We believe that if it can be beautiful, it should be...
ENGINEERING
Robust engineering is the key to enabling high performance and safety critical applications.
We work closely with you and combine your application knowledge with our design and manufacturing methods to deliver outstanding products.
...but form without function isn't really all that beautiful...
MATERIALS
Our understanding of materials and their behaviour in-service enables our Engineers to develop robust solutions.
Our knowledge and abundance of test data provides you with unrivalled confidence in the performance of our products, enabling you to go further, faster.
...and beauty isn't only skin deep...
PRODUCTION
We design for production and we produce to fulfil our design intent. Our in-house production facilities enable us to precisely specify each process step using digital manufacturing, and thanks to our extended workbench of manufacturing partners, we can ensure scalable production at the same high standards that we maintain in-house.
...it is in everything we do
DESIGN
Additive Manufacturing gives unparalleled freedom in design, but it also has its own limitations which need to be understood in order to fully exploit its potential.
With AM design-to-cost is closely linked with design for performance. Even in industries where weight is traditionally not of interest, it becomes of critical importance with AM.
With AM, saving weight is saving cost
That is why our Engineering competency is core to our value proposition. We simultaneously add value through performance, and reduce cost through material efficiency.
Our Engineering team is the jewel in our crown. Armed with the latest design and analysis methods and tools, whether your priority is to optimise performance, functionalise components or to make them aesthetically stunning, we have the skills and experience to make your vision a reality.
ENGINEERING
Engineering is more than just design. Engineering is the difference between a design that works in theory and a design that works in practice.
It is now relatively easy to produce a fancy looking geometry in CAD, and to translate that fancy looking geometry into a physical part with AM. But such parts are nothing more than paperweights masquerading as products.
Engineering makes the difference
At APWORKS we have demonstrated time and time again the benefits of AM in functional applications, enabled by our robust engineering approach, attention to detail, and close collaboration with our customers.
MATERIALS
Producing parts with Additive Manufacturing is more like operating a foundry than operating a machine shop. We produce the material simultaneously when we produce the part, and so it is critical that the processes are well controlled and the material quality is thoroughly checked at multiple stages in the production process.
Material, process & part are interdependant
Thanks to our many years of disciplined testing and quality assurance we have developed a deep understanding of our materials and how they behave, resulting in stable and controlled processes.
Our material repeatability is embedded in our design process through statistically derived design values based on aerospace standards, allowing us to tackle safety-critical applications with confidence.
If you want to learn more about our materials - please visit our materials page.
PRODUCTION
Part Production
We produce complex metallic components using Additive Manufacturing (Direct Metal Laser Sintering), as well as applying the numerous post-processes that are required to deliver end-use parts.
Lead time
We manage the full process chain to meet your requirements, and to ensure that the total lead time to reach the final part is minimised
Quality
We do not compromise on quality. We maintain strict quality assurance standards according to our DIN EN9100 certfication
End-to-end
We cover the whole production chain including post processing, coating, assembly and more.
An end-to-end service from a single source