Here’s a brief outline of what we have accomplished since May this year.

In May, we were told by the BIBAs (Business In Business Awards) that we had been shortlisted for two awards at this year’s show: Innovative Business of the Year and Low Carbon Business of the Year. If you keep reading, we’ll update you on how that went in September.

May also featured a training day for the University of Greater Manchester (formerly the University of Bolton), whose representatives came down to learn from our experience using the . The training covered powder management and facility management, focusing on the use of additive manufacturing within a wider facility.

Also in May, we had a follow-up visit from John, who had previously visited us with a stainless steel part for a motorcycle. This motorcycle is a Humber, originally made in 1914. The team wanted to refurbish the motorcycle and get it running again. That’s where AMS came in. John’s team had created a CAD file for the part they needed, and we produced two of them. These parts were sent to John and his team to fit to the motorcycle. John returned to give us a demonstration of the motorcycle in action at our facility. Here are some pictures of the bike:

 

In early June, AMS was delighted to sponsor the TCT User Group. Our team was represented on the stand at TCT, and we were also an awards sponsor for the materials category. This two-day event was thoroughly enjoyed by all, with many thought-provoking conversations and discussions about additive manufacturing in today’s climate. Thank you to everyone who came to visit and speak with us, including those who discussed our newly announced .

PowderPro was officially announced on 30th May. Our main goal is to provide an alternative to using MS Excel for powder traceability, with a focus on powder management. For more information, you can read the TCT article [here].

September was the perfect time to announce our plans for :

  • Optimising Contour Strategies in Metal Additive Manufacturing Using X-Ray Computer Tomography (XCT)
  • Topology Optimisation and Generative Design Approaches for Lightweight Aircraft Components in Additive Manufacturing
  • Optimising Contour Strategies in Metal Additive Manufacturing Using Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD)
  • Investigating the Influence of Test Variables on Hardness Measurements in Profilometry-Based Indentation Plastometry (PIP)
  • Investigating the Correlation Between Metal Powder Morphology and Flow Behaviour in Additive Manufacturing

If you are interested in any of the above, please get in touch with us using our contact form or email admin@additive-manufacturing.co.uk.

September also meant that, as a team, we completed our annual , once again with Predatech. This is our second year of achieving Cyber Essentials Plus, and this time, the assessment included the SLM 280. This certification is vital to our commitment to security, ensuring we follow the correct procedures to protect our data and any shared data we hold.

Finally, in September, the BIBAs awards took place. Unfortunately, we didn’t win either of the awards we were nominated for. However, we did receive a highly commended award for Innovative Business of the Year. While we’re disappointed not to have won, we’re grateful for the recognition.

October—normally the month for spooky tales—brought us a positive story! We were offered a place on the , which includes plans for a business trip to Germany. The focus will be on developing key market and economic benefits through collaborative events alongside our Innovate UK partners.

We’re always keen to explore continual improvement, which means aiming for a more robust system for our data. This led us to renew our for another year, allowing us to showcase our commitment to quality from the ground up. Additionally, our has been renewed, thanks to the hard work of our internal audit team. This sets us up for another year of top-quality management systems.