Oerlikon expands additive manufacturing tech with acquisition
Staff
Additive Manufacturing metal 3D printing Oerlikoncitim specializes in metal additive manufacturing for small-series production and functional prototypes.
Oerlikon has acquired German-based citim GmbH, a metal additive manufacturing design and production company.
The acquisition expands Oerlikon’s additive manufacturing technology and service portfolio with established 3D printing capabilities in Europe and in the USA.
citim expertise in the area of additive manufacturing production services and paves the way for Oerlikon to become an independent service provider for additive manufacturing components. citim’s core competency lies in metal additive manufacturing for small-series production and functional prototypes.
“The competencies and team from citim will serve to consolidate our position in the additive manufacturing business, marking the acquisition as an important move for us to drive the industrialization of additive manufacturing and to become an independent service provider for the production of additively manufactured components,” says Oerlikon CEO Roland Fischer. “We will continue to make targeted investments in the additive manufacturing market to solidify our value proposition.”
The company operates production sites in Europe and in the U.S., serving high-tech industries such as aviation, automotive and energy. The company has around 120 employees.
Additive manufacturing expands the design envelope for high-performance industrial components and offers cost reductions compared to traditionally manufactured parts in many custom and low-volume applications. As components are built layer by layer according to the digital design until the three-dimensional object is created, it allows complex forms not achievable with traditional methods to be fabricated. In addition, it opens up new possibilities for designs with enhanced performance or functionalities. AM essentially also enables a more efficient use of materials and reduces material waste.
Combining Oerlikon’s R&D skills and knowledge in the design and engineering of industrial components, powder materials, surface technologies for post-production processing and in-house services for component production, it can now offer an integrated end-to-end service concept for additive manufacturing.
