ADDILAN WINS EUSKADI AVANZA AWARD FOR ITS 3D PRINTER

Basque company Addilan, founded in Durango in 2017 by a group of machine tool companies including Ona Electroerosión and the Maherholding group, has received the Euskadi Avanza distinction awarded by the Correo group and Banco de Sabadell for its 3D printer.

After three years of groundwork in the field of new 3D printing technologies or additive manufacturing, this young company emerged onto the market in 2018 with its first piece of Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing equipment, developed in collaboration with Tecnalia. It garnered great acclaim at the International Machine Tool Exhibition -BIEMH 2018- where it received a prestigious design award. Addilan also presented its gem, a metallic piece for an airplane structure, at the Hannover fair, where it generated a great buzz.

At the helm of this ship is CEO Amagoia Paskual, who is convinced that “additive manufacturing is here to stay -it’s a technology that complements traditional machine tool technologies”. Addilan has become specialised in the segment of medium to large size metal pieces and non-complex geometries for the aeronautics, aerospace, energy, marine and railway sectors.

Amagoia Paskual describes additive manufacturing as ‘layer upon layer’. Material is deposited in predetermined shapes layer by layer, obtaining a pre-form, which is later mechanised (cleaned, polished). Contrary to traditional manufacturing methods (where the raw material is taken and shaped into the desired form, which can often mean wasting up to 80% of the base material), additive manufacturing saves on huge amounts of raw materials, since the process is the other way around.

Within the additive manufacturing field, Addilan has become specialised in what’s called WAAM technology, a soldering method that produces pieces by superimposing layers of metallic threads, which favours a reduced consumption of raw materials and cuts down on production time. They can work with steel, titanium or aluminium alloys, or superalloys.

The machine presented by Addilan at BIEMH 2018 has also patented its exclusive system for loading and unloading the sealed chamber it incorporates. This insulation is necessary for the treatment of special materials such as titanium; a process which also requires great precision for handling.

And, true to its origins, Addilan is moving steadily forward on its path, collaborating with technological centres and universities.