ASX-listed 3D printing specialist Aurora Labs has officially opened its new head office premises in the Perth suburb of Canning Vale, from where the company will continue its push to bring a new generation 3D laser printer for industrial metal components to the market.
Western Australia Minister for Innovation and ICT Don Punch opened the fit-for-purpose facility, which houses a joint administration office, printer research area and a workshop where the Aurora team is driving development of the prototype RMP-1 printer on a pathway to commercialisation.
Guests at the launch were able to discuss the latest milestones in the development process with the Aurora team, management and board members, and see the RMP-1 printer in action.
Aurora started production at the Canning Vale premises last month after an eight-week transition period. The company has said the move will enable it to achieve long-term cost savings of up to $240,000 a year.
Development of its flagship RMP-1 printer is central to Aurora’s ambitions of creating industrial grade, high productivity, high accuracy 3D metal printers to the point where they compete with traditional metal manufacturing on a cost-effectiveness basis.
Aurora is aiming to prove its capacity to print in 316L-grade stainless steel at a power rating of 1.5kW, a target that would set it well apart from its competitors in the field in terms of speed of production and power input. This week, the company announced that it had ticked off the third milestone of what it describes as a four-stage pathway to commercialisation.
According to the company, the 1.5kW laser printing power it is targeting with the RMP-1 laser printer exceeds traditional powder bed fusion laser power levels by between 1.5 and 7.5 times.
The company says it has achieved its phase 2 print parameter testing milestone, with reliable printing at 1.5kW power, while maintaining part integrity against industry quality standards. The testing also met the company’s other targets for qualification in regards to increased power and production rate.
In its previous milestones it achieved print parameter testing and a fume extraction upgrade.
Aurora’s final development phase on its path to commercialisation will focus on printing parts for customers to demonstrate the effectiveness of its technology in the market. Management says build-rate and cost of production benchmarking will be undertaken with independent third-party validation.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer Peter Snowsill has previously made clear Aurora’s ambition to develop capacity to meet growing demand for high-quality 3D printing for customers in Western Australia, and the opening of its new administrative and R&D centre is a key step on the path to cementing its place in the market.
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By Matt Birney
