ADAPT Welcomes New Member Big Metal Additive

    GOLDEN, CO, March 19, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- ADAPT, the Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies, a research consortium focused on developing technologies to accelerate the certification and qualification of 3D printed metal parts, welcomes their most recent member, Big Metal Additive, a new company that specializes in larger build metal additive manufacturing.

"I have been pioneering large additive manufacturing capabilities for aerospace and spacecraft applications for almost two decades and now I am excited to launch Big Metal Additive (BMA) to satisfy complex designs that meet the needs of a broad range of customers," said BMA Founder Slade Gardner. "Colorado is the right place to be for this company launch especially with the powerful technology support that comes with ADAPT expertise."

BMA uses a proven wire-fed, arc-based additive manufacturing method to create large, complex design structures from aluminum. The first BMA machine is a 4ft x 4ft custom-built machine from a best-in-class manufacturer of custom-made 5-axis and 3-axis CNC routers based in Colorado Springs, CO. BMA has configured this first machine for large-scale industrial additive manufacturing that can be done in an open shop environment.

"ADAPT is excited to welcome Big Metal Additive to our membership. This Colorado startup is focused on new technologies for bigger, lightweight structures and thus brings a new length scale to our membership and research activities. We are excited about this great partnership that will draw on previous research efforts and offer deep learning for better machine control," said ADAPT Technical Director Aaron Stebner.

About Big Metal Additive
BMA was founded by Slade Gardner, formally a distinguished fellow at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. The Golden, Colorado based startup provides large additive aluminum components. Most metal additive manufacturing machines have a build volume less than a cubic foot. BMA's build volume is more than 15 cubic feet. Dr. Gardner has a wealth of experience specifying and configuring necessary equipment for these builds with specific expertise in large scale wire based additive metal processes. For more information, visit http://www.bigmetaladditive.com.

About ADAPT
The Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies (ADAPT) is a research and development organization dedicated to the creation of next-generation data informatics and advanced characterization technologies for additive manufacturing technologies. ADAPT uses these tools to help industry and government qualify, standardize, assess, and optimize advanced manufacturing processes and parts. Several levels of membership to the ADAPT consortium are available. Founding industry members include Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Faustson Tool, Lockheed Martin, Citrine Informatics. Grant funding from the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT) was provided to Manufacturer's Edge and The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership. For more information, find ADAPT on the web at http://adapt.mines.edu/, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.

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