Innovating an age-old business to be agile, resilient and contemporary

Innovate or be left behind. What will drive the next phase of AM advancement? Software or hardware? We think material innovation is the key to addressing the many challenges posed in product development along with digitalisation. This and more are what we are exploring and implementing at Fehrmann Tech Group.

The current Covid 19 pandemic has brought many businesses to a halt and has posed severe challenges but has also presented us with opportunities to invent. One of the most talked-about issues has been the supply chain disruption and its impact on manufacturing. That is where additive manufacturing has been able to address this disruption through on-demand and on-site manufacturing, also known as distributed manufacturing. Potentially servicing customers at the point of need and in doing so also reducing the carbon footprint of manufactured parts.

Without a doubt, additive manufacturing will be an integral component of the value chain in the manufacturing ecosystem. Understanding this and adapting to the new world order is what makes Fehrmann resilient and agile as a traditional foundry with a global vision. The contemporary foundry is also poised for considerable transformational changes on this background. At Fehrmann, we offer a global view with innovation as our core competency.

Material innovation through R&D as a key driver for change

The building block of a product lies in its DNA, material composition and characterisation. With that ascertained, finding the right application is vital for it to be meaningful and impactful. Tasting the success and uniqueness in this, Fehrmann embraces opportunities in these challenging times to innovate and create value for our existing customers while attracting new ones.

With a foundry that is 126 years old built over generations and with over 50 years of experience in developing high-performance aluminium alloys, Fehrmann Alloys has set up a high-tech innovation centre for new alloys designed for 3D printing and casting. Building on the core principles of our founding fathers of innovation at the centre of our service, we continue to strive for excellence through our latest offering `One design, one material, one to a million parts."

The first high-performance aluminium alloy, AlMgty80, was launched in the autumn of 2019 making it possible for the first time the production of any number of parts with one alloy through four different processes – 3D printing, sand casting, mould casting and die casting. Following that successful launch, we introduced another silicon-free high-performance AlMgty alloy which enabled colour to be added to 3D printed metal parts.

AlMgty is a high-performance aluminium alloy specifically engineered for 3D printing and casting. AlMgty is not just a material but an alloy system that can be altered to create different mechanical properties to suit our customers’ requirements. The alloy is used in selective laser melting and laser metal deposition 3D printing processes as well as in casting.

Progressing in this material innovation space, in 2020 another high-performance aluminium alloy to the range, AlMgty90 was added which exhibits increased strength and a 25% higher hardness than its predecessor.

Global first for the range of aluminium alloys for additive manufacturing

At Fehrmann Alloys, we have embraced innovation adapting to the ever-changing landscape of demands for high-performance materials. We are in a unique position and have embarked on a journey of exploring and presenting customised solutions for our customers through collaborative R&D activities with our in house scientists and strategic partnerships with researchers at leading institutions. This thought leadership and the vision to create metamaterials has resulted in us making available a range of aluminium alloys for additive manufacturing and casting from a foundry based in Hamburg, Germany.

With the vision of transforming the offering of Fehrmann Tech, 6 new Aluminium alloys have been innovated to the unique AlMgty family of alloys lately. This extension of Fehrmann’s product portfolio makes the company the first worldwide for the range of aluminium alloys offered for additive manufacturing.

With the success of corrosion-resistance, high-performance AlMgty80 and AlMgty90 which are available both for 3D printing and casting, through extensive R&D we launched another range of high-performance aluminium alloys, namely AlMgty70 and AlMgty100 as well as standard cast aluminium AlMgty3, AlMgty5, and AlMgty50 which are also available for 3D printing.

The innovation does not end there as aluminium-zinc alloy AlZnty5 has also been formulated and launched to the global market.

Fehrmann Alloys constantly innovates to add new value-adding materials to the 3D printing and casting industry including optimal cast and print parameters. To do so, we leverage in-house expertise and long-lasting technology partnerships with leading institutes such as Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Production Technologies IAPT and Helmholtz Center for Material Science.

To meet every customer’s needs, the product range now contains seven alloys in the AlMgty-family and their new cousin AlZnty5. And all these alloys are printable while selected are polishable, anodisable even in colour, non-corrosive and show amazing mechanical properties that are transferable across additive manufacturing and casting.

These have been transformational to add value to our ability to produce quality to meet our customers’ needs.

Local foundry with global impact

Hamburg is uniquely placed as our global headquarters with great connectivity on research and industrial level as we grow our network of international partners and collaborators to enhance Fehrmann’s standing as a homegrown German family enterprise with a vision of global impact. To realise our global vision and to build an ecosystem that innovates together with us, we welcome your contribution and active participation.