Blueprint for success

As a privately owned company with an enviable reputation for expertise in developing and providing engineering solutions within particularly demanding environments, SFM Technology is a specialist in project management, design, manufacturing and precision engineering. One of the company’s core competencies is 3D printing of parts for the aerospace industry – MTD magazine find out more. 

Introducing the company and its technologies, Gary Wilson, the Technical Sales Manager for the 3D Printing division of Somerset-based SFM Technology says: “We have a range of facilities and the business ranging from design to manufacturing, painting and more. We are essentially a one-stop shop for a range of industries from aerospace to agricultural.”

Looking at how the company started its 3D printing journey, Gary says: “3D printing came about after a discussion with the Managing Director, we had a problem with a component for the helicopter manufacturer. Working with a helicopter manufacturer we came up with a solution that created a design for the helicopter that enabled us to do the parts in 3D.”

As the Managing Director of Emvio Engineering, George Konstantinidis adds: “We offer a variety of services to industry as well as 3D printers and machine tools. When you come from the traditional manufacturing point of view, you need a skilled machine operator, whether it’s a CAD/CAM programmer or a time-served machinist. 3D Printing takes away a lot of that skill because all you have to be good at is maybe CAD. In effect, you could have an apprentice who can run the machine unsupervised from day one. So, from a skills gap point of view, 3D printing can be slotted into any business.”

Looking at the benefits of 3D printing and why the company has adopted this route, Gary adds: “There are many benefits of the 3D printer and one is the ability to program the model within the machine and this allows you to repeat and repeat, over and over again. As long as you have the material, the machine will print through the week, 24/7. This cuts manufacturing time down quite considerably and it is the same print result every single time.”

Adding to this, George says: “Printing using the FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) method is starting to be adopted in industries like the casting market where pattern making is a skill that is being eclipsed. This is also a case for the production of jigs and fixtures where it takes somebody a lot less time to design 3D printable fixtures, this includes soft jaws or CMM fixtures. We are also seeing it be applied to end-use components, even in the aerospace industry. And this is how SFM Technology has progressed.”

Alluding to why the company has specifically invested in the bigrep PRO machine from Emvio Engineering, Gary says: “It’s the size. At the time of purchase, we needed a machine that could cover over a metre cubed, which this machine has. So, this machine is ideal for the work we were preparing to do. It fitted the bill with regards to the material, the size and the machine price.”

Discussing the machine in more detail, George says: “The bigrep PRO machine is the top-of-the-range machine that the company produce and it is well positioned for companies that want rapid prototyping and also parts that can be used as end products within the automotive and aerospace industries. This machine has been designed from the ground up and moves away from the traditional way of building a 3D printer. The machine uses servo controls and motors with a Bosch Rexroth system, to get all the benefits of servo-driven kinematics in a 3D printer. This makes the machine significantly more accurate, faster and user-friendly. In terms of travel, the machine has upwards of 1m in the X, Y and Z-axis.”

In conclusion, Gary says: “Using the FDM process, our business has gone from strength to strength and our orders have increased significantly. I can see that in time, the metal 3D printing will come into the equation and eventually be the way forward.”