AMcubator
AMcubator is the end-to-end Additive Manufacturing ecosystem to develop scalable applications.
The AMcubator is a 1100m2 center at the Brainport Industries Campus and provides the facilities for 3D printing companies to house both their experts in an application center as well as their equipment in a pilot factory. By bringing together parties from the entire value chain, AMcubator is able to bring scalable applications to the market and optimize processes further in order to have Additive Manufacturing as a competitive manufacturing technology.
Working together to answer the market
“We house leading 3D printing companies in hardware, software, materials, validation and automation. All together in one area,” says Maarten van Dijk, the initiator of AMcubator. “We are taking the role as facilitator between the participants to ensure a one-stop-shop for all industries looking to onboard 3D printing as a production technology. A company that wants to start with 3D printing, can find expertise, support and test facilities to discover if 3D printing can be the answer to their question and to find out how they can use 3D printing to scale.”
From orthopedics to equipment manufacturers
Additive manufacturing can provide solutions for many types of industries. One challenge the AMcubator solved was the process of making mouthguards. Typically, these guards have to be send abroad to be customized by hand. At AMcubator, the participants 3Dmouthguard, Covestro, AMsolutions and Marketiger worked together to optimize the process through digital scanning and 3D printing.
Also the equipment manufacturers can benefit from the expertise in AMcubator. Normally many parts of a machine are manufactured through milling and laser cutting. The machine contains many parts and need a lot of maintenance because of the any moving elements. By going through the process of redesigning and using 3D metal printing, AMcubator helps equipment manufacturers to lower the costs of materials, assembly and maintenance while reducing the risks of failure in the entire manufacturing process. By using digital design and 3D printing, spare parts can easily be printed all over the world.
Brainport factor
“The products that we realize, can only be made in Brainport Eindhoven,” says van Dijk. “Because of the mentality of the companies here. We understand that we need to develop the additive manufacturing market together. There is a lot of trust among the different companies in the value chain. We are complementary to one another and work together on commercial propositions to be successful together. The trust is there because we have proven that once we are successful every company has a share in the commercial success. AMcubator brings the right companies together to reach this common success.” For international companies AMcubator can also be an interesting spot to start penetrating the European market. Van Dijk explains: “Instead of opening up a separate office in the area, companies from abroad can start at the AMcubator, showing their solution as part of an entire value chain, making it easier for them to show the value they can bring in scaling 3D printing.”