Sintavia LLC, an independent metal additive manufacturer, acquired QC Laboratories Inc. (QC Labs), a nondestructive testing (NDT) services company based in Hollywood, Fla. The acquisition enhances Sintavia’s NDT capabilities for commercial aerospace applications, particularly with respect to surface-finish conformance testing. QC Labs specializes in radiographic (X-ray and gamma), fluorescent-penetrant, ultrasonic, magnetic-particle and eddy-current inspections. The company holds approvals for these processes from Honeywell Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, General Electric, Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Cessna, Eaton, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Rolls-Royce.

Sandvik acquired a 30% stake in privately owned Beam IT, a provider of metal additive-manufacturing (AM) services and advanced end-use components. Italy’s Beam IT supplies metal AM end components to demanding industries, including automotive, energy and aerospace, and holds several relevant quality certifications to serve these industries. The company has more than 20 powder-bed-fusion printers installed.

To support the global demand for its high-alloy products, Sweden’s Höganäs will expand its Johnstown, Pa., facility in North America. The project, which is expected to create 25 jobs, will add new production capabilities to support additive manufacturing and other technologies. The company will construct a 24,000-square-foot building and purchase new machinery.

Ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) combines a unique room-temperature metal deposition process with the ease of traditional CNC milling. A patented ultrasonic print head is integrated into three-axis mills to create a hybrid additive-subtractive process.

The recent staging of the Bright World of Metals, which consists of GIFA, METEC, Thermprocess and Newcast, confirmed its position at the world’s most important international platform for the metallurgy and casting sectors. Numerous investments, spontaneous business deals and lively discussions characterized the dynamic atmosphere in the 12 halls of the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany.

GE Additive announced that GE Aviation made a significant investment in its electron-beam-melting (EBM) technology with the purchase of an additional 27 systems. Avio Aero, a GE Aviation company, currently operates a fleet of 35 Arcam machines at its recently expanded site in Cameri, Italy. The additional EBM systems will be installed at GE Aviation and Avio Aero facilities in the U.S. and Europe. They will be used primarily for the production of titanium aluminide (TiAl) blades on the low-pressure turbine for the GE9X engine.

HP Inc. opened its 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Barcelona, Spain. The facility brings together hundreds of additive-manufacturing experts in more than 150,000 square feet of space and is dedicated to the development of HP’s industrial 3D-printing portfolio. It integrates flexible and interactive layouts, co-development environments and fleets of HP metals and plastics 3D production systems to drive rapid and agile product development. Companies such as BASF, GKN Metallurgy, Siemens, Volkswagen and others across the automotive, industrial and healthcare markets will collaborate with HP on new 3D-printing and digital-manufacturing innovations at the Center.

The Industrial Heating Equipment Association (IHEA) heads to Cleveland, Ohio, for its 2019 Fall Seminars and Fall Business Conference. The event will be held at the Intercontinental Cleveland Sept. 24-26. The technical seminar series will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by the IHEA Fall Business Conference on Thursday.

Protolabs launched production capabilities for its metal 3D-printing service. The new capabilities use secondary processes to improve the strength, dimensional accuracy and cosmetic appearance of metal parts. Protolabs uses direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) technology, which is ISO 9001- and AS9100D-certified, to 3D print metal production parts. Once parts are built, several secondary options like post-process machining and heat treatments are possible, and quality-control measures like powder analysis, material traceability and process validation are taken.

The ExOne Company announced a material collaboration with Sandvik Additive Manufacturing, a division in the global engineering Sandvik Group. The material collaboration will focus on qualifying and optimizing Sandvik’s Osprey metal powders with ExOne’s binder-jetting machines. It will include studying powder and binder interactions; developing 3D machine process settings; and creating post-processing heat treatments for various materials, including stainless steels, tool steels and nickel alloys.