13.10.2021 -

Now2Next: ALSO continues to invest in 3D/4D Printing Solutions

ALSO began investing in additive manufacturing at an early stage. Today, the processes have reached a high degree of maturity and are used in numerous industries. The technology enables companies to significantly reduce the time to market of new products, with higher quality and greater efficiency in the development process. Products can be manufactured more individually, productions can be designed more flexibly, because spare parts and missing connectors can be printed uncomplicatedly and quickly.

According to bitkom, additive manufacturing and generative designs can reduce material weight and consumption by up to 90 percent. Manufacturing is significantly more energy efficient, and production can be moved directly to the customer markets. With 3D printing, small quantities can be implemented, tested and optimized. Recycling is also easier, as the manufactured pieces usually consist of only one material. Increasingly, 'smart' materials are being used to allow three-dimensional printed objects to change after printing. Triggers can be water, heat or vibrations, for example.

All this makes 3D and 4D printing particularly interesting for the SMB segment. “ALSO offers its partners in-depth expert know-how in planning, preparation, printing, and post-processing. Together with our resellers we can develop customized solutions including suitable equipment for the realization of 3D/4D printing infrastructures at the end customer's premises. In addition to process support through ALSO’s 3D/4D Printing Solution, we also offer a wide range of products, materials, and coordinated solutions, which we are expanding continuously," says Gustavo Möller-Hergt, CEO of ALSO Holding AG (SIX: ALSN).