VEM Group, a manufacturer of tooling and injection moulding services to the medical device and consumer goods industry, has invested in additive manufacturing with the purchase of a double laser head steel printer to meet the increase in demand for 3D printed steel inserts.

As market requirements and product lifecycles are changing, conventional technology and traditional manufacturing cannot always fulfil customer needs, particularly for medical parts. VEM has cooperated with partners in additive steel manufacturing for many years and now has brought the latest technology in-house to better serve customers. Many new projects utilise conformal cooling channels to improve moulding performance and to significantly improve cycle time.

Marc Weinmann, president of VEM, said: “With this technology we can achieve lower injection moulding cycle times and, depending on the part, better part and surface quality due to the use of conformal cooling. It requires an upfront investment for the moulds but will pay off in part manufacturing. Over the years we’ve trained our staff how to adapt their design according to this technology.”

VEM stays competitive by investing in the right technologies including automation and less manual interaction in every step of the manufacturing process. Additive manufacturing technology lowers production costs and helps customers achieve better margins.