On April 7, Taiyo Nippon Sanso (TNSC) announced to tie up with 3D Printing Corporation (3DPC) a domestic venture which is engaged in the consultation business on the design/production and work environment for molding companies using metal 3D printers.

3DPC established in 2016 is doing the consulting business in use of DFAM (Design for Additive Manufacturing) to make the best use of a high-mix low-volume production which the metal 3D boasts. The consulting business includes proposals for solution to make parts lighter in weight and solve issues related to design and production, and also consultation to support for more efficient work environments as well as the sales of 3D printers which are suitable for the solution.

The printer is used for various parts in the aviation, space and automobile fields. Recently it is used for the parts of face shields as a measure against Covid-19, and also is utilized to mold the bicycle parts which have been scarcely available for these years. TNSC has so far positioned the Additive Manufacturing (AM) of the metal 3D printer as its important business genre and promoted enrichment and differentiation in its product lineup and technologies through collaborations and investments.

TNSC foresees a possibility to make more extensive and adaptable proposals than ever, creating a synergy effect combining its metal 3DP-related products and gas supplying facilities with the consulting know-how of 3DPC. With the synergy combination the company is aiming for an early accomplishment of its targeted sales scale of several billion yen in the AM-related business segment. For information, regarding the amount of investment at this time, no disclosure has been agreed.