Innovative shapes and structures based on additive manufacturing

The Röchling Direct Manufacturing Center offers state-of-the-art and innovative additive manufacturing options enabling our customers in all industries worldwide to find holistic and ground-breaking solutions for their long-term success. Unlike other manufacturing technologies, additive manufacturing means almost complete freedom in component design. In this way, components can be optimised in terms of their shape and structure.

One basic idea of optimal additive design is to use material only where it is absolutely necessary to fulfil a function. That principle has been copied from nature. Just like plants grow in nature, for instance.
The designers of the RDMC use generative design for this purpose.

This means that special computer software only knows the necessary constraints for the use of the component. Algorithms are then used to compute the final component design from these constraints.

The shapes and structures created in this way can then often only be produced using additive manufacturing.

For instance, material thickness can be reduced and simultaneously stiffness increased. This system is already in use for our industrial customers. Mechanical and plant engineering, automotive engineering, traffic engineering and materials handling are just a few industries that benefit from this new type of component manufacture.