NEWS

November 2023

FUTURMOTIVE 2023

We are pleased to announce the participation to the next fier that will be held from 16 to 18 November 2023 at the Bologna Exhibition Center: FuturMotive.

This extraordinary event is dedicated to the challenges of the energy and ecological transition, as well as new business models in the Automotive sector. Aimed at manufacturers, component manufacturers, distributors and buyers, FuturMotive represents a unique opportunity to stay updated on the latest innovations and trends in the sector.

It will be an extraordinary opportunity to get to know the team and discover the innovative solutions developed in the automotive sector.

Furthermore, on November 16th at 3.30pm, we will hold a workshop in Italian dedicated to "3D printing, materials and case studies in the automotive sector". It will be an extraordinary opportunity to delve deeper into these issues.

We look forward to seeing you at FuturMotive.

Request your free invitation

April 2023

E-TECH 2023

We were present at E-TECH EUROPE 2023O on 19 and 20 April 2023. The international trade fair dedicated to innovative technologies for the production of components, systems and processes to support the development and production of electric vehicles.

Many thanks to everyone who visited us during the second edition of E-Tech, the trade fair for e-mobility technologies.

Our company will continue to develop solutions for the design, simulation and prototyping of components and systems for the automotive sector with a special focus on Friction Stir Welding technology, which is increasingly present in e-mobility.

Contact us to submit your e-mobility system development needs, we will be happy to discuss and support you.

October 2022

BIMU 2022

An event not to be missed: BIMU 2022, Fiera Milano - 12-15 October.
With PMFactory and MakeAdditive we will be present with our stand at the most important autumn exhibition for the manufacturing industry. BIMU 2022.

We will have the opportunity to meet you and show you our best solutions for Additive Manufacturing.
We are in fact official partners in Italy of brands of 3D printing machines, such as BigRep, for large format, miniFactory, for prints with ultra-tech polymers, PrimaAdditive, for metal printing, and Voxeljet, for 3D HSS Polymer Sintering technology. .

You will also be able to physically see the miniFactory ULTRA machine, which will be with us on display.

👉 You will find us here:
BIMU, 12-15 October, Fiera Milano
Hall 13, Stand C47E

Request your invitation

September 2022

FARETE 2022

We returned from summer holidays with the desire for live events! We look forward to seeing you at FARETE, on 7 and 8 September 2022 at Bologna Fiere.

Come and visit us in FARETE, on 7 and 8 September. We will be at the Bologna fair, hall 18 - stand M73, for two days of networking dedicated to the development of relationships and business opportunities.
You will be able to get to know our engineering reality closely and deepen the objectives of the new MakeAdditive initiative.

👨🏼‍💼 𝗙𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗘, an event promoted and organized by Confindustria Emilia Area Centro, is the place where companies meet, a great showcase of production and service excellence.

Receive your invitation for free

August 2022

PMFACTORY and VOXELJET

We are pleased to announce the start of the collaboration with Voxeljet. The German manufacturer based in Augsburg that designs and manufactures industrial printers with binder jetting, technology capable of producing details in sand, ceramic or plastic.

The main sectors in which Voxeljet operates are foundries and, more generally, all companies in the mechanical sector with particular reference to the automotive, aerospace and defense sectors.
Thanks to the new agreement we will be able to offer more industrial solutions and also to improve our offer of 3D printed components since Voxeljet actively operates in the service field.

Contact us to learn more.

Find out more

June 2022

MECSPE 2022

PMFACTORY will participate in Mecspe 2022, which will be held in the Bologna Fair from 9 to 11 June 2022.

This week we dedicate it to additive manufacturing solutions! We will be present at Mecspe 2022 in Bologna Fiere, Hall 29 - Stand A07.
At our stand you can view the printing solutions of BigRep and miniFactory for thermoplastic materials and those of PrimaAdditive for metallic materials. You can also learn more about the contents of our makeadditive e-commerce and our reverse engineering solutions thanks to the GOM scanner and the Geomagic software.

Come and visit us at Bologna Fiere in Hall 29 - Stand A07.

Request your free admission ticket

March 2022

E-TECH 2022

PMFACTORY will participate to E-TECH 2022, which will be held in Bologna Exhibition center from 12 to 13 March 2022.

E-TECH EUROPE 2022, the International event for innovative electrical and electronic technologies, wants to position itself as the reference point for the next industrial and economic ‘revolution’, which will involve the entire supply chain across the electrification and electronics sectors, in particular for the automotive world, but also for utilities, renewable energies, storage, grids, power tools, automation, logistics, controls and more.

In Bologna, in the heart of the Italian E-Motor Valley, powertrains, drivetrains, new architectures for the automotive, batteries, inverters and converters, electric motors and electric coil technologies, supercapacitors, metals, minerals and innovative materials (lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, copper, silicon, graphite, graphene, composites, etc.), components, equipment and machinery, engineering, design, services, and more, will be the stars of this significant event that will attract the attention of thousands of specialized visitors across Europe.

We will also hold a workshop on FSW for e-mobility products at the Workshop Area – Antonio Pacinotti from 14.45-15.30.

Come and visit us in the Hall 19 - Stand F22.

Request your free entrance ticket

February 2022

E-COMMERCE MAKE ADDITIVE

Our e-commerce MakeAdditive dedicated to the world of additive manufacturing has been recently launched.

The world of 3D printing proliferates and the online offer of materials that sometimes have characteristics and results that are not always certain is widespread. With our new portal, we want to help those who work in the industrial world to obtain high-quality products, using materials capable of guaranteeing reliability and certainty. For this reason we take care to select the best brands and we will be happy to accommodate specific requests in order to improve our proposal.

Come and discover Make Additive and send us your observations!

February 2022

PMFACTORY & PRIMA ADDITIVE

PMFACTORY, to improve its effectiveness in the world of mechanical engineering, has decided to expand its product range by offering solutions for metal additive. Now, thanks to our partnership with PrimaAdditive, we can offer metal 3D printers with two different technologies.

Prima Additive develops and offers innovative laser systems for both major metal additive manufacturing processes: Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) and Direct Energy Deposition (DED).

Powder Bed Fusion

Powder bed fusion process uses thermal energy to melt specific points on a layer of metallic powder. The thermal energy – generated by a laser source – melts the powder material, which then solidifies as it cools, creating the part layer by layer. After the melting of one layer, the platform lowers, and the powder recoater deposits a new layer. This process is repeated until the complete component is manufactured.

Laser Metal Deposition

The laser metal deposition process uses focused thermal energy generated from a laser source to fuse powder metal sprayed at the focal point of the laser beam. This laser beam melts the deposited powder to the component. The laser is coaxial to the deposition head which moves in 3 to 5 simultaneous axes. A rotary tilt table can also be installed in order to keep the melt pool created on a horizontal plane.

For more information write us to: info@pmfactory.it

November 2021

BIGREP E MINIFACTORY 3D PRINTERS

PMFACTORY has recently bought two high-performance FFF industrial 3D printers: Germany's BigRep STUDIO G2 and Finland's miniFactory Ultra.

Thanks to the launch of this new operational area, we will enrich our range of services by providing thermoplastic parts in additive manufacturing. This technology applies both to the prototype stage of product development and to the making of end-use components or production equipment.

Contact us for more information about the features of our printers, and we will be happy to show them to you in person at our headquarters in Bologna.

Please find below the main features and functions of our 3D printers.

BIGREP STUDIO G2

Winner of the prestigious German Innovation Award 2018, the STUDIO G2 printer produces large 3D printed products in a wide range of materials (from PLA to Hi-Temp CF) with excellent mechanical characteristics.

The closed printer structure maintains a controlled temperature and supports a print volume of 500mm x 1000mm x 500mm. It is equipped with a special double extruder with two 0.6 mm nozzles, capable of printing layers with a minimum height of 0.1 mm for the creation of parts with a high-quality superficial result.

MINIFACTORY ULTRA

The miniFactory Ultra printer is designed for printing high performance materials such as ULTEM, PEEK, PEKK, PPSU.

It is equipped with a hot chamber that can reach up to 250 ° C and therefore allows the use of a wide range of materials, from basic and technical polymers to the most performing ultra-polymers. This advantage is due to the achievement of a temperature close to or higher than the transition temperature (Tg) of the polymer used.

In addition, the heated filament chamber maintains the optimum condition of the filaments thanks to a controlled temperature up to 120 ° C with humidity level monitoring. This makes it possible to have a continuous workflow without the need for pre-drying the filaments between prints.

Thanks to these conditions it is possible to achieve better adhesion of the layers, obtain better mechanical characteristics, less residual stress and fewer warping or cracking effects.

For more information write us to: info@pmfactory.it

October 2021

MECSPE 2021

PMFACTORY will participate to MECSPE 2021, which will be held in Bologna Fiere from 23 to 25 November.

MECSPE 2021 is the ideal event where to learn about trends and news in the manufactory industry, besides being a key opportunity for supply chain networking. The first edition of the event following the pandemic aims to communicate a strong signal of recovery in the sector, it represents a chance to meet up and seeks to foster optimism among the industry.

Our stand will be placed in the Additive Manufacturing area. By joining us you will learn more about our company and the BigRep STUDIO G2 3D printers, miniFactory Ultra and the GOM ATOS CORE 300 3D scanner. Our team is willing to understand your needs and figure out the best additive solution for your products or processes.

Come and visit us in hall 36 - stand E90.

Request your free entrance ticket

March 2021

PMFACTORY AND MINIFACTORY

PMFACTORY, in order to improve its proposal of solutions for the printing of thermoplastic materials, has signed an agreement for the distribution in Italy of the printers of the Finnish Minifactory.

Minifactory has focused its attention on the production of FDM printers for printing high performance materials such as ULTEM, PEEK, PEKK, PPSU.

The Ultra printer, already present in Europe in various companies and research centres, features an on-board dryer for the filaments, control software taht together with high-precision mechanics, allows the printing process to be certified, obtaining high accuracy and repeatability of the parts and, above all, a hot chamber that can reach 250°C.

Ultra's hot chamber is capable of obtaining an environment with a printing temperature close to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the material. These conditions enable better layer adhesion, better mechanical properties, less residual stress and fewer warping or cracking effects.

For more information write us to: info@pmfactory.it

March 2021

Springer Italy and PMFACTORY

We have recently closed an agreement with Springer Italy for training and consulting projects in the automotive and additive manufacturing areas.

PMFACTORY has signed an agreement with Springer Italy, the Italian subsidiary of the multinational publishing group Springer Nature, for the provision of content and training modules, in virtual and presential mode, based on about 2000 scientific monographs, mainly in English and German, dedicated to the automotive sector and additive manufacturing.

This is a pilot project, experimental and innovative for Italy, which provides professionals in the automotive sector the opportunity to participate in training courses, web and presential, in a practical and applied context with the involvement of Italian and international authors. Under this agreement, PMFACTORY Academy will allow its members to benefit from access to Springer Nature publications, also available on mobile devices, accompanied by learning tests.

Thanks to the support of Springer, PMFACTORY will offer even more cutting-edge content and tools in the context of automotive and additive manufacturing, based on the real needs of its end customers and the experiences in these areas that are particularly maturing in Germany.

For more information write to: academy@pmfactory.it

January 2021

Friction stir welding: features, uses and advantages

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a welding technology patented in December 1991 by The Welding Institute (TWI). This process is suitable for light metal alloys welding joints and has been perceived with great interest by the industrial world and, in the last few years, met a remarkable development mostly in naval, aerospace, railway and automotive applications.

Friction Stir Welding is a welding autogenous material mixing process. Thanks to a visco-plastic state reached by the heat developed by the relative motion between a rotating tool and the welded material surfaces, the material can be easily remixed, thereby obtaining a metallurgical continuity. The main feature of this technology is a "solid state welding process”, since metal melting temperatures are not reached. This process allows commons phase transition problems to be avoided.

Efficiency is the key of the process: It has been widely demonstrated that the joint mechanical properties are 15-20% higher than those obtainable with all other traditional welding processes, even compared to the more advanced like Lasers.

Since the FSW doesn’t work by fusionbut by friction, shielding gas stations are not needed. In this way, splashes, sprays, fumes are avoided. The welding process is also interesting for its energy efficiency: It has been proven that it is much more efficient because the energy involved is 30-40% lower than conventional welding.

Light alloys, and homologous or dissimilar materials in chemical composition and thickness, can be easly welded up to 100 mm in a single pass. All metals and many thermoplastic polymers can be welded.

The FSW has a further advantage, which is the ability to weld different alloys such as titanium, magnesium, aluminum, mixed each other. Usually, those results are hard to achive with traditional welding technology. These hybrid joints are used in high-tech components such as aerospace field, but also in the transport and automotive industry. In particular, the aim is to improve performances, both in strength and weight reduction.

The technology has an extremely wide applicability. It is also a totally automated process, robotic or inserted on numerically controlled machines and extremely repeatable and stable. it can also be implemented with traditional milling machines. This doesn’t require the need of qualified welding operators. Today, thanks to the adoption of sensors and technologies typical of Industry 4.0, the machines allow a very accurate process control, refine the performances in terms of mechanical resistance and manage the process with great reliability and repeatability as well as.

For more information write us at info@pmfactory.it

November 2020

PMFACTORY AND BIGREP: industrial 3D printers for large-format additive manufacturing

PMFACTORY® has signed an agreement with the German company BigRep for the distribution of its industrial 3D printers.

BigRep's 3D large-format printers are designed for high-performance industrial applications: whether they are functional prototypes, industrial production tools or end products, the large-format printers offer a wide range of materials and the necessary reliability to operate in the industrial field.

PMFACTORY supports the entire additive manufacturing process on thermoplastic materials and is able, starting from the specific case, to choose the appropriate material, redesign the part in additive optics, simulate in Ansys the loading conditions in order to perform a topological optimization and then print and deliver the finished and tested part also thanks to the internal metrological capabilities.

The agreement with BigRep completes and enriches the proposal of PMFACTORY dedicated to companies for the development of the new product.

Find out more on: BigRep or write us at info@pmfactory.it

Download the brochure

October 2020

Design for Future: Dream your 2025 FSAE Italy Car - Car Design Contest

PMFACTORY® is taking part of the jury composed by car designers, stylish and engineering experts, in the contest “Design for Future: Dream your 2025 FSAE Italy Car” organized by ANFIA.

The contest aims to invite university students to propose the design of a 3D model of a concept car - intended as a prototype for a salon or show car, which may also have technological solutions that are not yet on the market but future oriented. The presentation should contain a press note in which the project is illustrated in detail. Concept cars must be small racing single-seaters with open wheels.

The jury will evaluate the proposals of the 6 participating teams, selecting 3 finalists who will be able to access the awards.

To find out more, visit Design for Future

June 2020

Reverse engineering with Geomagic for Solidworks

Our new acquisition of the professional tool Geomagic for SOLIDWORKS allows us to import the meshes of the 3D models scanned directly into SOLIDWORKS, one of the most advanced solutions on the market for importing scan to CAD.

With Geomagic we can transform all 3D scans into objects, which can be in turn modified in a CAD environment through an easy and intuitive process. A tool that allows us to capture practically any object and create detailed solid 3D models, ready for being modified or sent to manufacturing. The reverse engineering algorithms of Geomagic help us rebuild missing design data, a function especially useful for rebuilding old or damaged molds, or for recreating lost design files. Furthermore, it allows us to create products that would be impossible to design without reverse engineering, components that integrate perfectly with others that already exist or customized parts that must adapt perfectly.

With the Geomagic plugin for SOLIDWORKS, we also can control deviations between the SOLIDWORKS model and the scanned data. This allows us to create accurate designs and provides a level of traceability.

May 2020

Motor Valley Fest

This year's edition of the Motor Valley Fest will take place via the web: from the 14th to the 17th of May. Please join our online presentation which will be on May the 15th at 11.00 am, in what will be the largest virtual forum that has been developd to date. The forum will allow you to exchange views on innovations with universities and start-ups as well as information on professional prospects and educational paths .

The new digital mode for “The Land of Motors” has been develped to be used by hundreds of fans and will put you in contact with emerging start-ups and companies. The new digital mode transcends from the phyical to the virtual , fully interactive which will intrigue , excite and aimed at the automotive of tomorrow. The site is aimed at keeping you fully updated on our design, planning, developmnet and operations activities .

Come and visit us on Motor Valley Fest!

May 2020

3D Scanner

The 3D Scanner is a tool recently acquired by our company.
It allows us to recreate a three dimensional model of a component in such an extremely accurate way (9 thousandths of mm on measurements linear as regards the model of scanner included to the company: GOM ATOS CORE 300).

The scanner is used for three-dimensional measurements of medium-small objects up to 500 millimeters of maximum size for single scan. The sensor forms the basis for a wide range of different measurement operations like basic 3D scanning of fully automated measurement and analysis activities. Its strength is 3D scans with high data quality for applications such as reverse engineering, rapid prototyping and dimensional analysis of components.

Together with the two cameras, the projection operates according to the principle of the triple scan. During the measurement, the fringe models are projected on the surface of the object and recorded by two cameras according to the principle of stereoscopy. This process automatic offers considerable advantages in the measurement of reflective surfaces or objects with complex cavities.

The projection unit of the ATOS system exploits the Blue Light Technology. The sensor works with a blue light narrow band; the light interferences present in the environment can be filtered during the image acquisition. This powerful light source ensures short time of measurement.

The calculated polygon mesh describes surfaces in free form and standard geometries. Then these can be compared with the 2D drawing or directly with the CAD data set with the help of surface comparison.

The parametric approach of GOM software allows multiple analyses, for example the statistical process control (SPC) or the analysis of deformations. Consequently, it is possible to analyze the surface area of individual parts or stages of a single design and determine values statistical analyses such as cp, cpk, pp, ppk, Min, Max, avg and Sigma.

Starting from the CAD, the software is able to reconstruct different types of measurements on scanned mesh. You can then compare the sample analyzed with the relevant mathematical model.

Depending on the needs expressed from the customer, the final output can be different: from the simple mesh of the particular scan to a complete relative report analysis of one or more samples.

April 2020

PMFACTORY in China

PMFACTORY® has been working with China for some time to improve the service towards its customers. So we have structured a support in the Shanghai area.

For Italian companies, support in China can be particularly valuable for the following themes:

• Quality supplies: through our network of SQE, supplier quality engineers, it is possible to conduct inspection activities at Chinese suppliers, to start production of components or to solve specific problems related to quality or production.

• Sourcing: thanks to our network of contacts matured over the years it is possible to launch targeted research on specific product classes or to identify the fair supplier through a benchmarking action.

• Partnerships: we can support you using our contacts in China to help Italian companies to identify potential partnerships to enter the huge Chinese market.

April 2020

PMFACTORY Academy

PMFACTORY® Academy is the new training proposal of PMFACTORY®.

It is in the finalization phase the calendar of the courses 2020 and soon we’ll be launching following courses:

• Aluminium alloys and production processes
• Mechanical drawing
• Metrology and dimensional testing
• Technology of materials
• Friction stir welding
• Painting and surface treatment
• Project Management
• APQP
• PPAP
• FMEA
and many other modules from the AIAG world. With the collaboration of Cubo consulence.

The PMFACTORY® Academy have also launched a platform available to participants where it is possible to remain in contact with teachers and members to maximize the formative experience.

Platform: PMFactory Academy

February 2019

Regional call for innovative start-ups 2018

In February 2019 we won the regional call for innovative Start-ups, POR-FESR EMILIA ROMAGNA 2014-2020 Axis 1 Research and Innovation.

The project presented expect a strong investment in digital tools aimed at accelerating product development activities by reducing time to market. Thanks to the acquisition of hardware tools, GOM Atos 3D Scanner, a server, contact measurement tools and Sw tools, such as GOM Inspect Professional and Geomagic, it will be possible to acquire greater speed in industrial product design, simultaneous engineering, reverse engineering and competing collaboration tools.

Pmfactory: innovative digital methods of research, development and analysis of products and production processes

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CONTACT US

Bologna - Italy
T: +39 051 406206
info@pmfactory.it

Legal headquarters:
Via Agucchi, 47 – 40133
Operational headquarters:
Viale Alcide De Gasperi, 26 - 40132
P.IVA: 03623211202
Registro Imprese: BO – 533954

Shanghai - China
T: +86 21 62965822
info.cn@pmfactory.it
No.355, HongQiao Road, XUHUI district

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