AMT’s Emerging Technology Centre – IMTS 2016

BLOG

With IMTS 2016 just around the corner, more than 114,000 industrial decision makers are waiting in anticipation to visit Chicago and find solutions to their manufacturing problems. On top of the 2000 companies that will be showcasing what they have to offer, a variety of attractions will be running across the five days. Ranging from the Miles for Manufacturing 5K run to IMTSTV broadcasting live from the show floor, it is highly unlikely that you will run out of things to keep you busy.

AMT’s Emerging Technology Centre (ETC) has gained it’s “must visit” reputation around the globe for exhibiting the most exciting new projects and products from the additive manufacturing universe. The majority of this “proof of concept” technology has never been seen before, and is more than likely going to impact the world of manufacturing in the very near future.

The “Additive Bionic Human”
The “Additive Bionic Human” will be joining us at IMTS 2016. Although the name is slightly ominous, the technology that EOS North America are showcasing through this project is going to have unparalleled benefits in the medical world. The ability to produce patient specific replacement bones and joints from high quality, medically compatible material will seriously reduce the risk of a patient’s body rejecting the implant.

One of the main benefits of additive manufacture as opposed to traditional subtractive manufacture is the ease with which lattice structures can be created. EOS have applied this to their Bionic Human concept to accelerate post operation healing and significantly reduce weight whilst still maintaining strength, combining the positive attributes of traditional metal and plastic implants. The degree of surface roughness that comes with additive manufacture enables the implants to fuse easily to the patient’s bone, meaning that the implant is accepted more readily by the body.

AMIE
The Additive Manufacture Integrated Energy (AMIE) demonstration is a project led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) alongside a number of industrial partners. The concept behind the project is to use an integrated energy system that is shared between a building and a car. Additive manufacture is being used as it enables the products to get to market quicker than traditional manufacturing methods.

The new vehicle will include on board power generation and bidirectional wireless power transfer between it and the building. ORNL researches have worked alongside architects from companies such as Skidmore, Owing and Merrill LLP to design and create a single room module to demonstrate the new concept. ORNL will be demonstrating the project on the ETC booth, it’s not one to miss if you want to see what the future of personal power production and storage has to offer.

Shelby Cobra
This 1965 Shelby Cobra replica took just 6 weeks from concept to production at ORNL. Using their BAAM (Big Area Additive Manufacturing) machines along with Autodesk software, ORNL were able to reduce the overall weight of the Cobra from 1400lbs down to just 500lbs. By using additive manufacturing techniques, the car was produced extremely energy efficiently, and means that new advanced power generation and storage technologies such as a hybrid system and wireless charging can be integrated into the vehicle.

 AMT’s Emerging Technology Centre will be located in the North Building, booth N-70.

Guy Buttle

Ready to MAKE?

Add comment

There are no comments