Modern Machine Shop and MoldMaking Technology present ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, a quarterly supplement reporting on the use of additive processes to manufacture functional parts. More at additivemanufacturinginsight.com.
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AdditiveManufacturingInsight.com August 2015 — 15 be a ft for this new and evolving technology. Its initial projects were for the biotechnology and aerospace industries, although the company says it is willing and able to work with any customers who want to learn this technology. Seeing the machine in action was key to the fnal purchasing decision for Faustson. Suppliers of other technology options were unable to demon- strate their machines for the company, or seemed to show a lack of responsiveness. Hostetter is glad she noted this. "You cannot overemphasize the importance of service when it comes to these machines," she says. It was a trip to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, that sealed the deal for her. "They were equipped for the past four years with the same Concept Laser machine we were considering," she says. "It was just a few revisions behind." The NASA personnel, who had been involved with additive technology for 20 years at that point, assured her the machine would be a good ft. She adds, "They also offered their support and willingness to share all they've learned using this machine if we would educate them on our experience with fve-axis machining. It was a no-brainer at that point." Making the Leap According to Hostetter, getting into additive manufacturing does not require that a com- pany adopt a new business model; it causes just a slight disruption in opera- tions. "We thought, 'It's not subtractive, it's nothing like machining, but it's still metal. We can do this,'" she says. "We didn't want to have a different corporate structure. We wanted to make sure the current processes and procedures in place could accommodate this innovation, and it ft seamlessly into our current business model and added value to our capabilities." AdditiveManufacturingInsight.com August 2015 — 15 T he last time I spoke with Heidi Hostetter, Faustson was on the verge of making a signifcant investment in metals additive manufacturing to add more depth to her company's current manufacturing processes. That was fall 2014. Today, after much research on the additive technologies currently on the market, Hostet- ter, Faustson Tool's vice president, is excited to tell me that a new Concept Laser M2 laser melting machine is installed and running at the shop. While many companies take a wait-and-see approach toward adopting new technology, Faust- son considers itself the "iPhone of the industry," willing to take the risks and pioneer the unknown, according to Hostetter. For example, back in the 1990s, Faustson made a decision and commit- ment that the shop would adopt and become profcient with fve-axis machining technology. Now, this high-precision machine shop, operating in a 16,000-square-foot facility outside of Denver, Colorado, specializes in fve-axis manufacturing for the aerospace, defense, energy, medical and semiconductor industries. Faustson uses its new M2 laser melting additive manufacturing system to produce any components that the company believes might