Andrew Allcock details yet another additive manufacturing process, one that supports both metal and plastic 3D printing. It uses standard metal powder and plastic granules, using the same material for both prototypes and production parts. Starting out in 2015, German start-up AIM3D set out to revolutionise the plastic and metal 3D printing world by creating a machine that would offer the potential to eventually become a standard tool on every workbench. The founders of AIM3D GmbH (https://is.gd/sukisi) are all from the University of Rostock on Germany's east coast. Their aim of producing a low-cost 3D-printing tool was driven by the belief that widespread use of additive manufacturing (AM) had so far failed, because of high material and machine costs. Added to that, still today many 3D printers only accommodate a single material and often rely on expensive materials for printing. "It was our ambition to create 'the' machine tool of the 21st century that has a place in any company, much like a lathe or milling centre in the 19th century," says Robert Radon, head of development mechatronics.
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