PUNCH Torino and Roboze enter AM partnership

PUNCH Torino and Roboze, both at the forefront of the additive manufacturing sector, have signed a partnership agreement that will see the pair work towards accelerating the industrialization of 3D printing in the automotive and marine sectors.

The goal of the two partners will be to increase the adoption of additive technology and improve the printing process with Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) technology – making it increasingly competitive and sustainable when compared to conventional technologies. This will enable the development of even more competitive and high-performing products in the near future, with a substantial impact on lead times.

Roboze will deploy the Automate technology, specifically developed for the Production systems of the company. The Production Series features ARGO 500, an additive manufacturing solution that shifts the focus of additive manufacturing from prototyping to the production of end-use parts – maintaining the same manufacturing standards of traditional methods. It is one of the most precise and repeatable systems on the market and has allowed hundreds of companies to digitize their warehouses while scaling their production. The replacement of metals with super polymers such as PEEK, Carbon PEEK, Ultem, and Carbon PA offers excellent mechanical strength-to-weight ratio, as well as chemical and thermal properties for a wide range of industrial applications.

Since starting in 2015, PUNCH Torino has developed strong skills within the additive manufacturing industry through the development of automotive technological capabilities, and exploiting its advantages in product design and industrialization. This know-how is crucial for the development of new materials and technologies with a focus on the pair’s target market.

This partnership offers economic, territorial, and environmental benefits to both companies. From the economic point of view, the implementation of this technology will improve the product, both in terms of performance and design, and reduce development/production costs and time – with the possibility of digitizing warehouses and printing components only when needed.

In terms of territory, having the production back to the place of use will also bring the skills and job opportunities previously imported from other countries. Environmentally, there’s a focus on sustainability – by reducing the necessary transportation, the Co2 emissions will be reduced too.

“We chose Roboze as our partner because we strongly believe in its patented ultra-precise 3D printing technology for super polymers and composites, which will allow us to replace metal alloys within the entire lifecycle of automotive and marine functional components, thus reducing the overall weight of the powerpack system and the related Co2 emissions, which we know to be increasingly stringent and challenging,” said Gianmarco Boretto, Director of Hardware Engineering at PUNCH Torino. “This technology allows us to create increasingly complex, resistant, and functionally integrated systems through the application of specific product development techniques for additive manufacturing.”

“Thanks to the great experience of PUNCH Torino we will be able to implement our additive manufacturing technology in the automotive and marine fields, through a high-quality and repeatable printing process and a new circular and sustainable production model. We want to demonstrate that by integrating PUNCH Torino’s high engineering skills with our high-performance super materials, it is possible to design and develop innovative and high-performance systems; a winning example are the case studies previously realized, among which we find engine brackets with organic structures and integrated rails for high-pressure hydrogen applications,” said Giancarlo Scianatico, EMEA Business Director of Roboze.