Machine shop moves into the future of additive manufacturing

Amiga Engineering, a Victorian high-precision 3D metal printing company, has embraced additive manufacturing with the installation of two Konica Minolta 3D SYSTEMS ProX DMP 320 3-D printing systems.

“Amiga Engineering’s abilities in general engineering had peaked,” said General Manager Michael Bourchier. “We struggled to find new ways to add value to our existing customers, to attract new customers and to participate in interesting projects outside of the general engineering sector.”

In 1988, the company started as a pipe fitting and flanges machine shop, and it now services a diverse range of customers throughout Australia.

“We didn’t want to fall by the wayside like so many Australian manufacturing shops are,” he continued. “Without the right technology, manufacturing companies are limited in what they can create. We didn’t want to be creating more and more of the same thing, or worse, less of the same thing. We also didn’t want to rely on every piece of business we receive just to survive. We wanted to have a choice in Amiga Engineering’s direction and growth, and choose exciting new projects and partners based on desire rather than need.

“We knew manufacturing wasn’t dying. It was changing. We just needed to figure out how we could participate in, contribute to and benefit from its evolution. We knew that 3D printing would be useful in propelling us into the future, and changing the way we worked.”

Since late 2017, Amiga Engineering has experienced significant growth, advancing along its long-term aim to innovate with technology. It excels in metal additive manufacturing, and plans to take on greater manufacturing challenges across a range of Australian industries.

Traditionally a competitive and innovative industry, Australian manufacturing is embracing additive manufacturing techniques as a way to increase competitive advantage in the face of cheaper overseas competitors. Manufacturers are reimagining the industry with the help of this emerging technology. Amiga Engineering was confident it wanted to take the next step and move into the future.

Bourchier said, “We recognised our challenges and sought to address them by viewing a range of 3D print systems from 2011 onwards, but had trouble finding a service which met all our needs until we met with Konica Minolta. The 3D SYSTEMS ProX DMP 320 stood out because it could do so much more than the other 3D print models we’d viewed.

“It let us innovate while also letting us maintain our successful 30-year history of machining pipe flanges, fittings and other special components for oil, gas, mining, petrochemical, marine and defence industries. With the increased capabilities offered by the 3D SYSTEMS ProX DMP 320, we could satisfy our desire to move into new and diverse industries.”

The Konica Minolta and 3D SYSTEMS 3D metal printer lets Amiga Engineering use free geometry to create items that are functional to the upper limits of design rather than being hamstrung by the technology they can be machined on. It’s a heavy-duty alternative to traditional metal manufacturing processes and offers reduced waste, faster speeds, shorter set-up times, and very dense and pure metal parts with leading surface quality.