Valcun recently had a notable customer event, but it’s only the beginning for the young company.
Valcun is a Belgian company with a unique 3D printing process: they can print 100% pure aluminum objects from wire. Their Molten Metal Deposition (MMD) process is quite similar to FFF, except that they can print metal wire directly. They do this by controlling temperatures and speeds in a very precise manner. No other company offers this capability, as far as I know.
Unlike metal FFF processes that use a mix of polymer and metal particles that must be post-processed in sintering ovens, MMD prints are instantly usable. No post-processing is required, aside from the removal of support structures if needed.
MMD is also inexpensive as it is a metal 3D printing process that doesn’t require expensive lasers. This could make their technology very attractive to metal product manufacturers.
I saw that Valcun recently held an “open day” for customers and prospects, at which they presented expert commentary on their technology, and even provided demonstrations of MMD for attendees.
That’s all fine, but I see this is part of the young company’s journey. Having followed 3D print technology for now 18 years, I’ve seen many companies rise and fall, and there’s a series of stages they must go through.
It usually begins with an incredible innovation, typically a new and unique 3D printing process. That’s most definitely what Valcun has done; MMD is quite unique and actually a breakthrough in many ways.
The next stage after product development is to find someone to buy the product, and that’s often far more difficult than the technology.
This is particularly true in the manufacturing world, where companies are accustomed to solutions that they are familiar with, and operate in the same manner they have long used. Manufacturers are dependent on production throughput rates, so they are naturally conservative about making any change at all.
This causes new companies like Valcun to educate prospects about their tech so that it might be considered. This is quite difficult because many prospects may not have an interest before they understand the tech — it’s a chicken and egg scenario.
The next stage is even more challenging. Once prospects understand the tech, then they still won’t become buyers until they know they can benefit from using the tech on a specific application.
This leads to the final stage, where a company like Valcun has to work directly with prospects to help them identify a specific solution that makes financial and technical sense. This requires both technical and customer relations expertise, and also a lot of time.
However, once through that, the customer will be more than happy to acquire the solution to make the parts for the application they know will work.
Via Valcun
