One of the toughest challenges in 3D metal printing has been solved by Australian company 3DM Surface Finishing. When an object is printed in metal it comes out fairly rough and must be smoothed for most applications, usually by machining, grinding or polishing to achieve a better finish but this is expensive and time consuming.
3DM Surface Finishing has developed and patented the next step in the evolution of electro-polishing, called electro-ablation. Electro-ableation delivers high-speed, fine polishing of almost all metals and alloys 10 times faster at a tenth of the cost compared to current methods.
The technology works with almost all metal alloys including titanium alloys, niobium, aluminium alloys, inconel, nickel alloys, chromium alloys(stainless steel) and copper.
Melbourne Angels saw the opportunity provided by the technology in its very early stages and after an initial investment in 2019 have just completed a second-round investment in the company. They provide active support to the company through Paul Boxer (Chair) and Paul Baron (Board Member) who led the recent investment round.
“Melbourne Angels was excited to invest in a company that is going to make a big impact on advanced manufacturing, particularly at a time where supply lines and local manufacturing opportunities have come into increased focus. Since our first round investment in 2019 we have had to maintain a low profile until the patent work was complete and the technology was ready to be introduced to industry.It’s great to finally go public about it” said deal lead and shareholder elected board member, Paul Baron.
“3DM Surface Finishing has solved one of the central challenges for 3D metal printing: how to finish the rough outputs of 3D metal printing rapidly, cheaply and without specialised training. We have shared the capability of the technology with a small number of manufacturers who cannot wait to get their hands on this technology” said CEO and company founder Dean Klower.
