Bringing together expertise in surface finishing, automation

Following the investment in Additive Manufacturing Technologies’ (AMT) series B fund raising in 2021, Saint-Gobain Surface Solutions (SGSS) signed a strategic alliance agreement with AMT. The intent of the agreement is to leverage each other’s knowledge, expertise, and leadership in finishing technologies to drive sales of AMT’s flagship PostPro SF chemical vapor smoothing post processing product.

Specifically, SGSS and AMT will together apply the Norton application technologies and Norton systems approach to enable the development of a Technology Upgrade Package (TUP) for AMT’s PostPro chemical vapor smoothing (CVS) process. This TUP will consist of a set of automated software enhancements to enable ease of use for operators and efficient utilization of the machines. 

“The collaboration between AMT and Saint-Gobain brings together expertise in surface finishing and automation to deliver new generation surface treatment based on AI. This will provide novel solutions for today’s manufacturing challenges and unlock new windows of opportunities for the Additive Manufacturing sector,” comments AMT’s Head of Research & Development, Dr. Konstantin Rybalcenko.

“We are looking forward to deliver enhanced solutions to AMT’s customers through this technology and commercial partnership, utilizing the principles from Norton Applications Technology,” says Dr. Anand Tanikella, vice president of research & development for Saint-Gobain Surface Solutions.

SGSS and AMT will further work together in offering solutions for newer materials and various applications by integrating CVS into the overall finishing system of customers. The parties expect a new Technology Upgrade Package will be available on a subscription basis in early 2023.

“The strategic alliance agreement is in line with our ambition to be the preferred provider of surface finishing solutions for 3D printed components,” says Laurent Tellier, chief executive officer of Saint-Gobain Surface Solutions.

“The feedback from our customers indicated that the biggest barrier to driving increased adoption and machine usage was the manual recipe creation required for each new set of materials and finishing outcomes. Through our partnership with SGSS, we are focused on automating the recipes that drive the machine. This will increase the overall usage of the machines and improve product development cycles, while improving customer satisfaction. We are incredibly excited to partner with Saint-Gobain on this industry-critical initiative and look forward to sharing our next updates in early 2023,” states Joseph Crabtree, chief executive officer and founder of AMT.