At Start-A-Factory, we work with many different teams. Our teams are as diverse as the hardware requirements. Now we want to present our startups and projects to you and for this, we are happy to introduce David from Orion AM today.
My start-up focus on additive manufacturing with high-performance polymers. High-performance polymers are highly strong high heat and chemical resistant thermoplastics that are typically used in aerospace or in medical applications. Some of these plastics are very difficult to 3D print with, so we developed a special technology to make them more amenable to printing. We are using a method similar to FDM, which relies on using filament. The difference is that we apply thermal radiation in order to improve the entire bonding strength , thus making materials with crystalline-like structures. Their high-strength properties make them suitable and desirable for a wide range of advanced applications.
I come from a mechanical engineering background and I always really loved to design machinery. I really like the process of creating something and sharing it with others. By getting involved in designing my own 3D printers, I feel like I’m passing this ability on to others and enabling them to create something themselves and, in turn, sharing it with the rest of the world. My vision is to use industrial additive manufacturing for advanced applications, using aerospace-grade polymers. 3D printing with these super-plastics is a revolutionary prospect for the aerospace, medical, automotive and semiconductor industries.
"I think the greatest success so far and the most exciting event was the moment when we tried the first printing process with the thermal radiation technology I mentioned. We actually achieved a very homogenous structure! That was when we validated our theory, and then we knew that we were on the right path."
Adam Rumjahn
Our collaboration with Fraunhofer IZM means knowledge sharing, primarily. We are working together with some research groups that are specialized on the microintegration of sensors. We are also using synergies with other Fraunhofer IZM groups that are interested in 3D printing for flexible or printable electronics. There is a lot of contact between everyone, which makes for a great community with the other start-ups here.
What’s next? We are hoping to fast track the microcontroller development to be able to include it with the ISO certification and receive the CE marking for the equipment.
Curious now? Read the full interview with Adam on our Real IZM blog here and learn more about Orion AM on their website.