A new Customer Experience Centre for co-creation of Metal Additive Manufacturing
A value co-creation space with customers and partners in innovative aluminum binder jetting technology
Ricoh Company, Ltd. (RCL) will expand its Customer Experience Centre (CEC) offering at Ricoh UK Products Limited (RPL), in Telford, on November 7 to accelerate co-creation with customers and partners in the manufacturing industry.
The new CEC, a part of RPL’s Additive Manufacturing facility – the home of Ricoh 3D, will particularly benefit those considering using metal binder jetting (BJ/MBJ) 3D printers for electric vehicles, electric aircrafts and alike, to create new value such as improving the energy efficiency of electric components, for example motors and batteries.
This CEC, dedicated to metal additive manufacturing – an expansion to the current Ricoh 3D print service, will be established as a place for co-creation activities. Through demonstrations, Ricoh 3D and RCL will help customers understand that ‘we are stronger together’ and showcase the capabilities of Ricoh’s technology. Furthermore, Ricoh will also deepen its understanding of customers’ issues and propose solutions that can contribute to solving those issues by providing 3D printers and a total solution for production workflow.
At the new CEC, Ricoh has the technology to manufacture aluminum parts using a highly productive BJ 3D printer. The expert AM team can utilise the strength of 3D printers to manufacture aluminum parts with complex shapes that cannot be made using existing manufacturing methods, producing lightweight parts, high-performance heat exchange parts, and other industry-leading components. This will help solve the problem of cooling, which has become a significant issue in the electrification of various areas.
In addition to heat exchangers, 3D printers have many other possibilities. Ricoh will explore further applications for aluminum BJ technology with customers for mutually beneficial knowledge and co-creation.
Ricoh has positioned the “realisation of a zero-carbon society” as one of its material issues. Ricoh aims to achieve zero GHG emissions throughout its entire value chain, enabling customers to develop highly energy-efficient products by using Ricoh’s 3D printers, thereby contributing to the realisation of a zero-carbon society.
Tokutaro Fukushima, General Manager of Additive Manufacturing Business Center, Ricoh Futures BU, Ricoh Company, Ltd., said: “There are technical issues with many products where they cannot fully perform due to heat problems or limitation of weight reduction. We are confident that Ricoh's unique aluminum binder jetting technology will significantly contribute to solving these issues our customers face.
“With the opening of the new CEC in November, RCL and Ricoh 3D, we would like to accelerate co-creation with our customers to realise additional value for customers’ clients.
“Furthermore, we would like to actively promote collaboration with technical partners who have unique technologies. We hope to welcome partners who support our vision to ‘Make a significant contribution to a zero-carbon society and lead to the realisation of a wonderful future for children’ through co-creation activities.”
Ricoh Company, Ltd. and Ricoh UK Products Ltd. (Ricoh 3D) will exhibit the metal binder jetting technology at the Formnext event, held at Messe Frankfurt, Germany, from November 15 to 18, 2022