Valland and AMufacture: the meeting of 3D printing and industrial valves generates new products and deep collaboration.

AMufacture is very clear about its mission: Simply Delivering Innovation - 3D printed parts designed, engineered and produced. That is exactly what sparked the collaboration between the Fareham -based company and us at Valland. 

This collaboration began during the 2021 lockdown when AMufacture and Valland had to be creative by expanding networks and developing contacts. Due to similar interests, Craig Pyser, CEO of AMufacture, met with our team and  "What became clear during the first meetings was a similar vision in terms of innovation and industry goals and a willingness to push the boundaries of the valve industry and additive manufacturing."

A common spirit, the one we share with AMufacture, geared toward collaboration to drive development and growth.

AMufacture specializes in the marine, automotive, and renewable energy sectors. Having produced functional parts for various industries, the British company was already able to share ideas with us at Valland, for example, regarding the design and manufacture of custom valves to withstand 30 bar pressure as mission critical components. This provided a launch pad for the collaboration, which grew over time on the strength of the trust shown by the engineering teams involved. When Valland explores new products and materials, often what is available in-house may be only part of the story, and turning to other related companies (in this case, AMufacture) we can accelerate or complement solutions.

"One project in particular involved replacing the pressure containing components of an existing ball valve, made of stainless steel, with a 3D printed polymer version that was lighter, competitively priced, and had short lead times," Pyser explains. "Dimensional accuracy, material suitability, and comparability from a minimum performance standpoint were a given." The engagement began in March 2021: “Once the NDAs were signed and CAD designs shared, the first phase was to identify a material and print some valves, to verify that the MJF technology was within tolerances and repeatable, but also that the material was fit for purpose." 

Once this phase was completed and the selected material passed the various initial tests, the next step was to modify the design to reduce waste while keeping critical components intact: this was achieved by shape optimization by AMufacture's designers, and the resulting printed valves were sent to Valland for further testing. Further modifications and processes resulted in a final part as dimensionally accurate as the stainless steel valve it was to replace. The printed body and closure were fully assembled with traditionally manufactured components and subjected to rigorous testing, achieving zero leakage during tests with different media such as water, air, and a gas mixture of argon and helium (a type of fugitive emissions test).

After this project, Valland and AMufacture continue to evaluate new opportunities to further develop this innovation and provide similar solutions in the valve industry. This appears to be among the first and most concrete steps in which the worlds of additive manufacturing and valve technology are combined.

To find out more about Valland production and active collaborations with leading companies on the international scene, contact us: info@valland.it | valland.it