Evo One LFAM project aims to boost additive manufacturing capabilities

Innovate UK has contributed £1.1m to the Evo One ‘large format additive manufacturing’ (LFAM) project, which includes Evo 3D, Filamentive, AI Build and Baker Hughes as consortium partners.

LFAM is a commercial 3D printing technique that creates large volume polymer components used in industries including aerospace, automotive, energy, and marine. Countries like the USA, Germany, and China have adopted this approach, but there are no manufacturers of large format 3D printers in the UK. Furthermore, the UK accounts for around five per cent of the global additive manufacturing market, which the government aims to increase to eight per cent by 2025.

Existing LFAM systems are said to be limited by slow build times, being unsuitable for high-value or high-integrity parts, operational complexity, use of unsustainable materials, and being unaffordable to SMEs.

The new product being developed through Evo One LFAM will address the challenges and focus on the specific needs of the UK Market. Goals for the system’s design team include making it 60 per cent more reliable, achieve a 50 per cent increase in productivity, reduce training and maintenance costs by 30 per cent, and cutting material waste by 80 per cent.