FKM 3D printing metal

At FKM, we realize over 2,500 metal orders per year on 17 SLM machines. Thanks to our intelligently controlled project planning, we are flexible and adaptable.

We guarantee short response times, transparency and 100% on-time delivery and delivery reliability, even in complicated special cases. We continuously invest in our production facilities and can therefore provide flexible capacity for the additive manufacturing of metal at short notice. As we efficiently combine different components from the same material in our construction jobs, our prices are always competitive and often cheaper than in-house production.

We always have a range of high-quality metal powders in stock for 3D metal printing. These include aluminum, stainless steel, tool steel, Inconel 718, cobalt-chrome and copper. Our metal specialists will be happy to advise you on the selection of the optimum 3D printing powder for the application areas of your metal parts.

Anyone switching from conventionally manufactured metal parts to 3D-printed components has to think in new ways. The SLM process offers so many more possibilities that designers can give free rein to their creativity: How would nature do it? Where do curves make sense instead of sharp corners, edges or angles?

What mechanical forces act on the component and how, and where can material be saved? Can two or three components be made into one? And which functions can be directly integrated? You can find out what needs to be considered when developing 3D printed parts in metal in our design recommendations.

3D-printed metal components and metal tools already have very good surface properties after production. In order to further optimize them for a requirement profile, various surface technology processes are available for finishing.

As additively manufactured metal parts have a high density, mechanical post-processing or polishing is also possible, even up to the high-gloss range. At FKM, you can also have your metal components heat-treated (hardening), plasma or laser-coated (short-term plasma nitriding), galvanized (nickel-plating), coated or painted. In the case of internal support structures that are difficult to access, we offer the high-quality service of automated support structure removal plus component smoothing from a single source.

Our customers rely on the consistently high quality of our 3D metal printed parts. However, this does not happen by itself, but is monitored and checked by us on a daily basis. Our quality management process comprises several stages. These range from process validation before 3D printing to monitoring the ongoing 3D printing process and component inspection after printing. It also includes the documentation of the printing process and materials. Our in-house test laboratory has been setting standards in AM quality assurance for many years. We put the 3D-printed metal parts through their paces there. To do this, we use optical measurements, tensile tests, density measurements, Shore hardness measurements and surface roughness tests. We constantly monitor the quality of our 3D printing powders using special particle measurements.