MFN managed to get an interview with Michele Bandini, General Manager of Peen Service.

(?) MFN: Hi Michele, thanks for being with us today. In our last chat, at ICSP14 in Milan last November, you told us a bit about the history of surface treatments, the core of your company, starting from the famous Toledo Blades to today's Shot Peening. You took us on a very interesting and fascinating journey through time. On that occasion, you also mentioned Additive Manufacturing, as a technology in full development at the moment. Can we go into more detail on this topic today?

(!) M. B.: First of all, good morning and thank you as always for the invitation. Of course we will be happy to go into more detail.

(?) MFN: To begin with, can you explain to our readers what Additive Manufacturing is and how it differs from traditional manufacturing?

(!) M. B.: In short, Additive Manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, is a manufacturing process that creates objects by adding material layer by layer, unlike traditional subtractive methods that remove material from an initial block.

This approach offers a number of advantages over conventional subtractive or deformative technologies. One of the advantages is that only the material needed to produce the component is used. With this technology, “near-net-shape” objects are produced, that is, objects that are already very similar to the final component, and the scrap or “work waste” is extremely limited. In a world where “sustainability” is the watchword, this aspect is of great importance. A further advantage is the ability to create very complex and customized geometries, especially in internal cavities, which are often impossible to obtain with conventional techniques. The component is created through the generation of layers, flat sections, layer by layer. In theory, there are almost no limits to the shape of the individual layers, and the component, apart from any possible supports, is simply the overlapping of the individual layers that make up the overall shape.

On the one hand, this technology offers incredible design freedom and consequently better industrial opportunities; on the other hand, in certain sectors and for certain types of products, it requires a post-processing phase that we are only now recognising. Rarely 3D printed products are usable as they are. This is obviously an extreme synthesis.

(?) MFN: Sure, but is AM really such a new technology? When exactly was it invented?

(!) M. B.: As a matter of fact, AM is not as new a technology as one might think. It began to take off in the 90s, after twenty years of experiments and more or less successful attempts, but it has only come into the spotlight in recent years. The possibilities that this technology offers are very attractive to a market that is continually looking for new products at ever higher speeds. Printing machine manufacturers focus on developing new solutions to improve the performance of their machines in search of competitiveness on the market. The greatest efforts have been directed mainly towards mass production rather than product performance. This creates many problems in finding the right balance between the technological development of the machines and the quality of the resulting products, especially for products intended for work subject to stress and fatigue. This is where we come in, with our studies, our research and our solutions.

(?) MFN: So the speed of development of 3D printing technology is impressive, however, from what you tell us, it seems that research cannot keep up. What are the main challenges in this area?

(!) M. B.: It is true, Additive Manufacturing technology is evolving rapidly, there are at least fifteen different 3D printing techniques but scientific research takes longer to ensure that the finished products are functional and safe. We said earlier that the products, in general, cannot be used as they are, post-process treatments are needed. The reason for this need is that, to date, all 3D printing techniques produce objects with insufficient surface finishing and intrinsic metallurgical defects. The surface finishing has an impact both on the aesthetic level and on the functionality of the component, and metallurgical defects have a large impact on mechanical resistance, especially fatigue strength. One of the main challenges is therefore to develop new treatments for 3D printed components so that they can compete with those produced by traditional processes.

This type of research takes a long time. Fatigue tests are time-consuming and expensive but without them you cannot have the data necessary to develop those treatments. All of this, obviously, has to also pay attention to large-scale industrial applications.

(?) MFN: Which sectors are benefiting most from Additive Manufacturing?

(!) M. B.: Additive Manufacturing is finding its way to various sectors, including automotive, racing - the most sophisticated of all, Formula 1 - aerospace, medical and consumer goods. In general, 3D printing is used to produce lightweight and complex components, while the medical sector uses this technology to create customized prosthetics and tailor-made surgical instruments.

(?) MFN: What are the prospects for Additive Manufacturing?

(!) M. B.: The future is very promising. It is expected that 3D printing will become increasingly integrated into traditional production processes, improving efficiency and reducing costs. Until a few years ago, it was thought that there were only two ways to make a component, material subtraction and deformation, but now we are starting to talk about a third way, additive. Furthermore, with the advancement of research, we will see the introduction of new materials and technologies that will make 3D printing even more versatile and powerful.

(?) MFN: What can be done to speed up research and make finished products more efficient?

(!) M. B.: As mentioned earlier, of all the research needed to develop the functionality of 3D printed products, fatigue performance is certainly the most challenging and the most time-consuming. Considering that the world of mechanics is characterized mostly by components subject to dynamic loads, it is clear that having data on the fatigue performance of the various 3D printing techniques and the related post-process treatments will be essential for the future. Very often companies have difficulty addressing these issues on their own, so it is essential to promote collaboration between companies, universities and research centres in order to accelerate research.

Furthermore, investing in training and developing specific skills in the field of Additive Manufacturing can help bridge the gap between technology and research. For our part, we have been collaborating with universities in research for almost thirty years and we are putting our experience at the disposal of new resources that are being trained, holding university courses on shot peening and its applications. We have recently introduced specific courses on Additive Manufacturing applications. In this way, future engineers begin to understand the characteristics of this new technology and how to improve it for optimal use while they are still studying.

(?) MFN: I see that you are always at the forefront, even with new technologies.

(!) M. B.: We try to do our best. Materials and technological methods are constantly evolving, probably destined for ever more complex applications that require ever greater performance. Time flies and we try to adapt our study and development methods to meet these new challenges.

(?) MFN: We can’t help but wish you the best for the future. Thank you, as always, for your availability and for letting us know new and stimulating things.

(!) M. B.: Thank you, it's always a pleasure for me to talk about what we do, it's our life.

MFN would like to thank Michele Bandini for this interview!

For Information: 

Peen Service Srl

Via Augusto Pollastri 7

40138 Bologna, Italy

Tel. +39.051.533 550

Fax +39.051.531 307

E-mail: info@peenservice.it

www.peensevice.it