Röchling establishing center for additive manufacturing

Jens Harmeling (left) and Dr. Axel Höfter are in charge of the Röchling Direct Manufacturing Center. Photo Credit: Wolfgang Martini

Germany-based components manufacturer Röchling Group has established a center for additive manufacturing.

In a Dec. 2 statement, Röchling said that Röchling Direct Manufacturing Center (RDMC) will be officially opened in spring 2020. Located in Waldachtal in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, the new center covers an area of 500 square meters.

“Additive manufacturing at the Waldachtal site will help significantly advance the Röchling Group as the company heads into its third century, since it gives us the unique opportunity to manufacture complex components and entire series quickly and cost-effectively,” said Professor Hanns-Peter Knaebel, CEO of the Röchling Group. “Given the wide variety of possibilities and material combinations as well as the almost limitless design freedom, additive manufacturing at RDMC…is the perfect means of furthering Röchling’s strategic positioning as a leading provider of technology solutions in all three of the company’s divisions of industrial, automotive and medical.”

The Waldachtal site will offer a “broad portfolio of relevant manufacturing processes” in the areas of plastics and metals, the statement said. “The RDMC is intended as a hub for the comprehensive transfer of additive manufacturing to all Röchling Group sites,” it said. “The aim is to enable the available expertise to be harnessed equally worldwide for the purpose of optimizing products and production.”

“Additive manufacturing makes it possible to completely re-imagine conventional products and manufacturing processes,” said Sebastian Koller, head of innovation and product development at Röchling Medical in Waldachtal, where the RDMC has been set up. “In the future, it will be possible for the technologies to be reliably deployed there under controlled ambient conditions in order to create high-quality products. The RDMC enables holistic and pioneering solutions that boost our customer’s success in all areas around the world.”

Röchling’s Canadian subsidiary, Röchling Engineering Plastics, is located in Orangeville, Ont.