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LFAM – A Brief History Additive Engineering Solutions Austin Schmidt, President
LFAM – A Brief History
Additive Engineering Solutions
Austin Schmidt, President
Agenda 1
• Who I am and how I got here
• What is Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM)
• Case Studies
• Lessons learned for Startup Land and Beyond
How did I get here 2
5 years
4 positions
4 States
2016-?
BSME 2006-2011
Co-op
Co-op
About AES 3
• The FIRST & ONLY contract
manufacturer to offer these
services globally.
• We are located in Akron, OH
• Full time staff: 8
What is LFAM?
Question 5
What do you call a machine that you send a
digital file, load with material, walk away and
come back to a finished part?
What is LFAM? 7
What is LFAM? 8
Here is how the BAAM compares to other 3D Printers.
FASTER
PRODUCTIONCOMMERCIAL PRINTER:
~1/2 a pound per hour.
MASSIVE PRINTING
SCALEwe can make parts
21 times larger than the
next largest printer.
OPEN SOURCEby using commodity
materials we can print
1000’s of polymers.
60+lbs/hr
21xlarger
∞varieties
What is LFAM 9
Typical LFAM LayersLayer Dimensions: 1”+ wide x 0.25” thick
Results: approximately 0.250”- 0.500” to final dimensions
Equipment 10
BAAM PRINTER INSTALLED AT AES FACILITY IN AKRON,
OH.
LFAM machines are:
• Gantry Based
• Pellet Based
Equipment 11
Equipment 12
Equipment 13
Materials 14
Commodity Thermoplastic Pellets
• 5x – 25x Savings over filament
Commonly Reinforced
• Carbon Fiber
• Glass Fiber
Materials 15
Low Temperature (<180F Range)
• ABS
• PLA
• PC
• PET-G
Medium Temperature (250F Range)
• Nylon
• PSU
• PC
High Temperature (350F Range)
• PPS
• PEI (Ultem)
• PESU
Engineering 16
VS
Case Studies
Precast Concrete 19
Domino Mold Stats
• Size: 10’x’5’x2’
• Weight: 400-500 lbs
• Material: ABS with 20% CF
• Print Time: 8-10 hours
• Machining Time: 4 hours
Precast Concrete 20
“We can easily get more than 100
casts from one mold, compared to
only a dozen or more from wood or
fiberglass molds.”
Mo Wright
Marketing Director,Gate Precast
Full Article Link
Large Scale Prototype 21
Large Scale Prototype 22
Full Article Link
“Standing inside this 3D printed part is
a big deal. The cost savings from
allowing us to reduce the design to
production time by about 5 months is
even bigger.”
Jérôme Pécresse
CEO, GE Renewables
Vacuum Trim Tool 23
Carbon Fiber Trim Tool
• 20% more cost effective
• 50% faster
Hypothetical Master Tool 24
Item Amount Cost
Material ( Poly Board) 117 BF $1,980
Glue Up 6 Man Hours $330
Machine Time + Setup 16 Hours $1,440
Finishing 6 Man Hours $330
Total $4,080
Hypothetical Master Tool 25
Item Amount Cost
Material ( ABS+20GF) 152 lbs $532
Print Time + Setup 5 Hours $1,500
Machine Time + Setup 8 Hours $720
Finishing 6 Man Hours $330
Total $3,082
Extra Benefits:
• Lighter (127lbs vs 301lbs)
• Quicker (3 Days vs 4 days)
• Increased Capacity
Estimated Cost Savings of $998
Lessons for Startup
Land and Beyond
Managing Expectations 27
DesignSlicing/
CAMPrinting
Coating/
Annealing
Machining Assembly Finishing Inspection Shipping
ZERO LEADTIME!
The tale of two industries 28
VS
Aerospace Precast Concrete
• Net Forever
• Poor Forecast
• +/- .010”
• Too many people
• Net 30
• Long Term Forecast
• TM Tolerance
• Easy to work with
MarginMargin
Startup Capital 29
Expectation Reality
VS
Help! 6
Never be afraid
to reinvent
yourself.
Never be afraid
to ask for help.
Never underestimate
the power of
networking.
Never underestimate
the power of
showing up.
Keys to success 30
31THANK YOU
AUSTIN SCHMIDTPresident & Co-Founder
Direct: (419) 571-2325
