Element Materials Technology, one of the world’s leading independent providers of testing, inspection and certification services, has launched an additive manufacturing centre of excellence in North West Europe.

Element has invested in new equipment, developed new analysing techniques, and launched new services to expand its capabilities for testing additive manufactured (3D printing) at its Antwerp, Belgium laboratory, bringing customers faster response times and access to a number of services which are unique in Europe, said a company statement.

The laboratory has expanded its scope for chemical analysis for additive manufacturing following investments in a fusion analyser, microwave destruction system and equipment to carry out inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), it said.

Combining three major analysis techniques, combustion, fusion and ICP-OES, experts at the facility are now able to analyse a total of 40 elements in a wide variety of metal alloys and will add another 10 elements, as well as aluminium alloys, in the near future.  

Matt Hopkinson, executive vice president of oil and gas and infrastructure at Element, said: “The additive manufacturing industry is thriving and our investment is in direct response to the increased need of our customers for testing of 3D printed materials.”

“Our engaged experts are at the forefront of additive manufacturing testing techniques and the new methods they have developed, which are unique to the European region, alongside the investment in equipment, will save our customers time and money as they now have access to our skills and services right on their doorstep,” he added.

The new centre for excellence is a Belac (NEN-EN-ISO/IEC17025) accredited metallics laboratory that offers a complete range of materials testing and research services.

It specialises in delivering metallography, weld testing services, corrosion testing services, chemical analysis services and failure analysis services to the oil and gas industry, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service