AddUp Opens North American HQ, A Proving Ground for Metal AM

Located in Blue Ash, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati, AddUp’s newly renovated North American headquarters looks not unlike an additive manufacturing production facility. Two directed energy deposition (DED) machines run next door to a room dedicated to laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), populated by six 3D printers. A machine shop around the corner handles postprocessing with depowdering units, wire EDM to remove parts from build plates and some machining capacity devoted to build plate resurfacing; automated postprocessing equipment will be added soon. Quality and metrology equipment are also located on-site, and plans are in place to add a heat-treat furnace down the road.

All this manufacturing capacity suggests a company that is focused on production, perhaps headed toward becoming a full-blown service provider — but this is not the case. AddUp is an equipment supplier, the maker of those DED and LPBF machines, but it is taking a different approach to selling that equipment than others might. As exhibited at an open house held June 22, 2022, its manufacturing capacity at the North American headquarters is meant to be a proving ground, a place to develop the right “recipe” for the application before a customer pursues production.

“We want to de-risk utilizing the equipment, in whatever configuration,” says Rush LaSelle, the company’s recently appointed CEO. The work being done in Cincinnati is an important part of that de-risking, complemented by the equipment builder’s emphasis on usability, safety and reliability in its machines. Key collaborations also play a role, as evidenced by the various partners on site for the event. For a look inside the North American headquarters, see the slideshow below.

Inside AddUp’s North American HQ

AddUp’s partner organizations, including Oak Ridge National Lab, PostProcess Technologies, The Ohio State University’s Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence, Fives and America Makes, participated in the open house.

AddUp is a joint venture between tire manufacturer Michelin and machine tool company Fives. The former has been using metal 3D printing to produce sipes for tire molds since 2002 and in 2015 created AddUp to develop laser powder bed fusion machines for this purpose. The acquisition of BeAM in 2018 brought directed energy deposition technology into the product portfolio.

Partnerships have been important in AddUp’s development of its equipment and processes, while also helping to prove additive manufacturing to new potential clients and markets. These impellers were printed as part of a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) between AddUp and Oak Ridge National Lab. Oak Ridge worked with Ford to study the surface finish and cost of metal 3D printed impellers.

At its North American headquarters, AddUp prints parts (such as these spinal cages), which its customers can then qualify. This helps reduce the risk of implementation in highly regulated industries such as medical and aerospace.

AddUp emphasizes ease of use and safety in its 3D printing equipment. For the FormUp 350 laser powder bed fusion platform, this means limiting operator contact with metal powders. Here, the FormUp 350 on the left is supplied with material through the handling station on the right. Powder flows through the metal duct above, and then is sieved adjacent to the printer before filling the build envelope.

Data from sensors inside AddUp’s machines is visualized in its Dashboards monitoring software. This enables users to track variables including progress, pressure and oxygen levels.

In addition to laser powder bed fusion, AddUp offers directed energy deposition (DED) through its acquisition of BeAM. These machines also use metal powder, but apply it through a nozzle. The process enables building onto an existing substrate and can be used to repair damaged parts or augment pieces made through other processes including LPBF.

This model of a rocket nozzle demonstrates how additive manufacturing can complement other manufacturing methods. The base is a formed metal cone, while the top, bottom and isogrid were applied using DED.