Make metal anywhere
Rapidly manufacture durable metal parts at the point of need.
Metal when and where you need it
Organizations in the Natural Resources sector often operate in remote environments, where they face a unique set of financial, logistical, and safety challenges. Automated Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM) addresses those challenges directly, making it easy to keep equipment up and running.
- Manufacture strong, durable metal parts in hours, not days
- Dramatically reduce downtime, waste, and material costs
- Reduce your reliance on supply chains
Ensuring compliance
Automated CSAM will make it possible to produce high-quality metal parts that comply with industry-specific quality standards, legal regulations, and IP protection. The key is understanding the various risk levels associated with the manufactured parts and adjusting production processes accordingly. With that in mind, be sure to:
- Maintain a comprehensive digital thread for each part
- Collaborate with equipment suppliers
- Conduct thorough risk assessments
The military approach to additive manufacturing (AM) offers critical insight for commercial manufacturers hoping to better understand and more effectively navigate legal regulations and industry standards.
The U.S. Marine Corps uses a color-coded bin system that serves as an excellent model. And by understanding how the branch uses it to assess the risk levels of metal parts, you can better identify—and resolve—potential Intellectual Property challenges.
In many countries, IP rights granted to spare parts are limited as patent protection typically applies to machines rather than to spare parts.
The doctrines of ‘exhaustion’ and ‘implied license’ allow the purchaser of a patented product to use, re-sell, and repair that product without the patent holder’s permission. However, it’s crucial to ensure that additive-manufactured parts are not subject to any patents or other IP protections. Consulting a legal professional and conducting thorough research can help you avoid any legal issues.
It’s also important to note that design protection and the ‘right to repair’ may vary from country to country, with some providing greater leniency for repairing and maintaining complex products.
In the U.S., ‘right to repair’ bills are under consideration but have yet to become law. Meanwhile, though copyright law typically doesn’t protect mass-produced machine parts or functional items, infringement may occur if OEM drawings are used to create the spare part.
When it comes to legal compliance, the most critical factor to consider is your equipment supplier contracts. Ensuring that your contracts allow for the use of AM technology for spare parts production and do not infringe upon IP rights can help you maintain a compliant manufacturing process.
By carefully navigating IP and legal concerns in collaboration with your equipment supplier and legal counsel, you can harness the potential of metal AM to produce spare parts while minimizing the risk of legal issues.
A solution to the supply chain
Supply chains are fraught with risk. From disruptions to cybersecurity threats to increased cost and time, they create significant obstacles to safe, timely maintenance and repair. Our automated CSAM makes it possible for you to control the process—and gives you everything you need to be self-reliant.
- Automation that reduces the need for extensive special training or expertise
- Containerized, ruggedized, and ready to deploy
- High-quality materials that meet or exceed cast equivalents
Sustainability in action
For the modern company, sustainability is more than just important—it’s an essential hallmark of good business. In a recent study co-published by Swinburne University of Technology and Charles Darwin University, researchers were able to document the environmental advantages of our patented CSAM process over conventional machining processes and other additive manufacturing.
- Emit 60% less CO2 compared to casting
- Consume 33% less energy compared to casting
- Eliminate the 17% of carbon emissions linked to shipping