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STAR Prototype, a China-based rapid manufacturer, launched the AddSub Manufacturing process that combines metal 3D printing and 5-axis CNC machining to quickly deliver complex, low-volume components that would previously have required the input of two separate entities.
STAR Prototype, which is based in Guandong Province, developed the service after it identified a significant demand for a one-stop-shop for such components. Gordon Styles, President of STAR, said: “Most metal 3D printed parts are not used as prototypes, but as complex low-volume manufactured components, and many of these parts need certain high-precision features that are virtually impossible to produce with 3D printing alone.”
“The problems arise because most 3D printing companies don’t carry out secondary machining, meaning the customer needs to take care of the work themselves or farm it out to a specialist machining bureau.”
AddSub Manufacturing allows parts to be transferred directly from 3D printing machines onto CNC machines without having to be removed from the build plate – a development that also resolves the troublesome issue of subcontractors getting to grips with 3D printed parts.
Source: STAR Prototype
