LPW Technology announces official opening of AM powder facility

LPW employees, engineers, entrepreneurs and business leaders from the global AM industry joined guests from the local area to celebrate the opening of this £20 million metal powder production facility. The 9,700m² building sits on a seven-acre site in Widnes near Liverpool.

Leader of Halton Borough Council, Cllr Rob Polhill, said: “It is very uplifting to see LPW, whom the Borough has supported in its development of this site, deliver for UK manufacturing. Manufacturing growth is at the heart of our region’s economic success and LPW is continuing to develop technologies and products to create skilled job opportunities here in Halton in the rapidly growing field of 3D metal printing technology. This demonstrates the success of the advanced manufacturing sector in the North West.

The factory houses a variety of powder production equipment referred to as atomisers, which melt feedstock at approximately 1,700ºC. The molten metal is then converted into fine grade metal powder used to 3D print parts for critical applications in aerospace, automotive and biomedical industries.

CEO, Dr Phil Carroll founded LPW in 2007 and leads this factory of the future, manufacturing AM metal powder with unprecedented levels of traceability. The factory has been designed to engineer out contamination. Separate cells, protected with air-locks and operating as clean rooms, enable clear segregation of materials. The facility is equipped with LPW’s PowderLife, metal powder lifecycle tracking system, to ensure that from raw material to customer site the material is strictly controlled.

“As LPW moves confidently into this next stage of our growth plan, we place immense value on our exceptional employees who are making this possible,” stated Dr Carroll. “I’m extremely grateful for the support received from Halton Borough Council and the UK government’s Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI). To be part of a UK-based manufacturer helping to realise the potential of 3D printing in applications across the world makes me incredibly proud.”

www.lpwtechnology.com