Advanced Manufacturing Solutions

KMWE offers automation expertise from machines and cells to departmental and business automation level. The use of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV), robots and Cobots are good examples. The robots perform operations at specific locations, like converting machines or carrying out local activities such as deburring and cleaning manufactured parts. We believe that robots are not only useful in a fully automated application, but can also support human actions. In these cases, we refer to them as ‘Cobots’: robots that can hold parts during deburring and position them for the easiest treatment.

KMWE has various development processes in place focusing on the printing of net shape or near-net shape metal parts. Examples include Selective Laser Melting (SLM), in which metal shapes are produced at a rate of several cubic centimeters per hour and Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM), in which kilos of material are formed per hour to a shape that very closely resembles their final shape. Both techniques are being developed in partnerships between KMWE and other companies.

Electro Chemical Machining (ECM) is a technique that has been developed within DutchAero to rapidly shape materials that are difficult to machine quickly and generate smooth surfaces. By flowing current and an electrolyte between a mold and the raw material, the material is given its final shape and size within a few minutes. The process takes some time to develop, but offers efficiency enhancements of 85 to 95% in comparison with milling.