The CREATE Education Project, a provider of 3D printing equipment for education, has become the first UK sales partner dedicated to education and research of 3D printer OEM Meltio.
Through the new partnership, The CREATE Education Project will play a key role in the distribution and support of Meltio’s 3D printing technologies within the UK’s education market, and will aim to build a research-driven ecosystem for the firm’s technology within the UK’s leading education and research establishments.
“It’s truly an honor to be able to work with an organization such as The CREATE Education Project to diffuse Meltio’s pioneering metal 3D printing technology in the UK,” said Gerard Garcia Torrents, Meltio’s Head of Sales and Marketing.
“I believe that our wire LMD technology provides a perfect platform for education, research and experiment safely and cost-effectively to accelerate the development of industrial applications.”
Meltio’s wire LMD technology
Wire Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) is Meltio’s take on the Directed Energy Deposition (DED) process. The LMD toolhead of the system utilizes multiple high-power lasers to melt metal feedstock directly onto a substrate below, resulting in fully dense metal parts.
The company’s leading product portfolio includes its Meltio M450 small-footprint industrial metal 3D printer and its Meltio Engine, designed to integrate seamlessly with robotic arms, CNC machines and gantry systems to deliver affordable and accessible hybrid manufacturing capabilities to its customers.
In the past year, Meltio has entered into several partnerships to accelerate the rollout of its machines. The Meltio Engine has been integrated by Phillips Corporation into a Haas Automation CNC machine tool platform in order to form the Phillips Additive Hybrid Manufacturing platform, while industrial machine shop Sivó became the first in Spain and Portugal to integrate the Meltio Engine into its operations.
Meltio also recently integrated ESPRIT TNG hybrid manufacturing CAM software from global technology firm Hexagon into its Meltio Engine system. The partnership saw Hexagon become Meltio’s first software partner and enabled Meltio to streamline the manufacturing workflows for users of its system.
Before moving into production, Meltio’s first customers were universities with a desire to carry out material research, which, with the ability to print with both wire and powder, opened up numerous possibilities in this field. Now, the new partnership with The CREATE Education Project will allow more education institutions to take advantage of the firm’s technology.
Partnering with The CREATE Education Project
The Create Education Project was founded by Paul Croft, Director of Ultimaker GB and 3DGBIRE, in 2014. The firm’s mission is to embed 3D printing technologies into education settings in order to help develop teaching and research.
Working with educators, the project aims to provide the next generation of students with tools and resources that enable them to develop innovative career skills in the field of additive manufacturing.
In 2019, The CREATE Education Project announced the launch of its first Primary Education 3D Printing Hub in partnership with leading car and aero-engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce. The hub was located at Wyndham Primary Academy in Derby after the school won a competition run by CREATE Education.
Upon becoming Meltio’s first UK sales partner dedicated to the education sector, The CREATE Education Project will distribute the firm’s technology to the UK’s education market. The project will deliver Meltio’s technology to the UK’s leading research and education institutions while also developing new business opportunities with technology centers, tooling machine companies, robotic integrators, academia, and industry.
“We are delighted to be leading the way by becoming the first education and research focused business to partner with Meltio in the UK,” said Paul Croft, Founder and Director of The CREATE Education Project. “Being able to bring this pioneering technology to our customers, and support them to develop research and innovation which will impact on the future of industry is truly exciting for us as a business.”
The CREATE Education Project has already secured machines in several leading UK universities. On the 4th February, the project will host a webinar outlining Meltio’s technology and its capabilities which includes testimony from these institutions in how they are leveraging the technology for their research. Those interested in the webinar can find more details here.
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Featured image shows The CREATE Education Project has become a UK sales partner of Meltio. Photo via Meltio.
