Coherent has made its first investment in the metal additive manufacturing market, with the acquisition of OR Laser, a German-based firm that has developed an affordable 3D metal printer designed for SMEs.
OR Laser's Orlas Creator enables the printing of components in almost every geometric shape without the need for additional tools. According to OR Laser, manufacturing speeds are 30 per cent quicker than comparable systems on the market.
'OR Laser... has developed a compact tool to enable process development across multiple markets, as well as provide production capability for the dental, medical and jewelry markets,' said John Ambroseo, Coherent’s president and chief executive officer, during the announcement of Coherent's second fiscal financial results. 'OR also developed proprietary software that is intuitive to use and does not require third party add-ons to go from CAD modeling to printed parts. Future projects will be directed towards the automotive and aerospace markets,' Ambroseo added.
