THE MANUFACTURING REVOLUTION

What seems like a manufacturing process of the future is now very much here, helping to produce innovative parts for rocket ships and create custom made and patientmatched implants.

But those applications all seem very futuristic too, don’t they?

What SLM Solutions CEO, Sam O’Leary, wants you to know is that additive manufacturing is now forming part of the world’s day-to-day. You’ll find parts made by the manufacturing process in cars, trains and tools.

Additive manufacturing is here and now, and SLM Solutions is at the forefront of the revolution.

The Obvious Choice

SLM Solutions’ specific process of additive manufacturing is Selective Laser Melting, a process co-created by SLM Solutions Chief Engineer, Dr Dieter Schwarze.

The business’ process uses its innovative industrial metal additive manufacturing machines to mould advanced and lightweight materials into bespoke solutions for its customers, defying the limitations of traditional manufacturing.

“Our technology is now 1000 time more productive than it was twenty years ago, with a majority of that development happening in the last four to five years,”

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explained Sam, “it’s now a truly viable choice for customers, but additive manufacturing only has about 2% of global market share - there is tremendous potential for growth”.

As well as having the ability to to create more complex structures, selective laser melting reduces labour requirementsa clear selling point during the current labour shortages faced across the globe. Its use of lightweight materials combined with technology to design advanced structures means the final application has the ability to reduce its energy consumption, too.

Scaling Up

According to analysis, the global additive manufacturing market size has a CAGR of 21.2% from 2022 to 2030.

Matching the growth of the market, Sam outlined a five year strategy to grow the business by a factor of five when joining SLM Solutions in 2019.

“In 2019 we had a turnover just under $50 million, at the end of 2022 we were in excess of $100 million. This achievement, during a period of unexpected market conditions, is a testament to our product and abilities,” he said.

Supporting the business’ growth plans is its recent acquisition by Nikon. As part of Nikon’s plans to increase its position in the additive manufacturing space, it acquired a 92% share of the business, which will remain as SLM Solutions.

“The year ahead is going to be an exciting period for us. The additional security in the market brought by the acquisition means that we can focus on innovations and further improve how we serve our customers,” shared Sam, “we will also benefit from Nikon’s own experience