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We’re starting with European business news in this weekend’s News Briefs, as ASTM International and CECIMO are collaborating to drive additive manufacturing in Europe, and Farsoon Europe has opened a new Innovation Center in Germany. Moving on, Domin used Renishaw’s AM to scale up production for hydraulics. Finally, Horizon Microtechnologies announced that its micro-AM coatings have passed radiation testing, and researchers in South Korea developed next-generation 3D printed microfluidic systems that can be used for sweat analysis.
At the recent ICAM event in Las Vegas, ASTM International and CECIMO, the European Association of Manufacturing Technologies, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to connect U.S. and European AM leadership and advance transatlantic cooperation in AM standards, certification, and workforce development. Their new partnership is built on many years of existing collaborative efforts between both organizations and their commitment to advancing industry through certification, consensus standards, and more. The agreement builds on CECIMO’s pan-European initiative, AM Europe, launched earlier this year and backed by ten national associations in order to unite the continent’s widespread AM community. Under the new agreement, ASTM and AM Europe, operated by CECIMO, will work to align AM-related standardization and certification initiatives, support workforce development initiatives, promote knowledge exchange across the worldwide AM ecosystem, and facilitate engagement among U.S. and European AM stakeholders in order to shore up global supply chain readiness.
“This collaboration reflects our shared belief that additive manufacturing—like many critical and emerging technologies—is a global movement. By combining the expertise and resources of ASTM and AM Europe, operated CECIMO, we can drive interoperability, increase efficiency, and speed the adoption of additive manufacturing globally,” said Dr. Mohsen Seifi, ASTM International’s Vice President of Global Advanced Manufacturing Programs.
Earlier this month, Farsoon Europe held the official grand opening of its new Innovation Center in Sindelfingen, Germany. Not only is this a dedicated hub for industrial AM development, but it’s also the company’s permanent European headquarters. The new Farsoon Europe Innovation Center integrates the company’s production-scale AM systems with the industrial ecosystem of Europe. Through hands-on testing, validation, and partnership programs, the site is meant to help Farsoon customers with series production readiness, collaborative industrialization, and supply chain resilience. The company will be able to offer local expertise, faster technical support, and stronger collaboration with industry in Europe, helping businesses scale efficiently and validating processes, materials, and workflows under real-world manufacturing conditions. This facility is a big step in Farsoon’s commitment to the manufacturing industry in Europe.
“The Sindelfingen Innovation Center marks an important milestone in Farsoon’s European journey. It’s where ideas become industrial reality — enabling our customers to move beyond pilots into true series production and long-term competitiveness,” said Oliver Huizhi Li, Managing Director, Farsoon Europe GmbH.
UK company Domin designs and manufactures innovative hydraulic products, including high-performance valves, components, and active suspension systems used in the aerospace, automotive, and manufacturing sectors. The company says most hydraulic systems haven’t changed much over the years, but Domin is always working to make its motion control systems more lightweight, powerful, cost-effective, and energy-efficient. It first worked with engineering technologies company Renishaw in 2019, and invested in a RenAM 500Q four-laser LPBF system in 2023 for hydraulic valve production. Last year, to meet increased demand, Domin got the RenAM 500Q Ultra, which is the highest-productivity model in the RenAM 500 series and uses Renishaw’s exclusive TEMPUS technology to optimize build times. Their continuing collaboration has resulted in major operational efficiency improvements, as well as increased production throughput—Domin is now printing around 120 metal manifolds every day. Additionally, Domin’s 3D printed hydraulic products have enabled operational savings up to $400 per valve a year, and the technology has also helped Domin reduce its material waste and improve fluid dynamics, which led to reduced Co2 emissions.
“My co-founder Andrew Collins and I saw metal AM as a revolutionary technology. We analysed several industries to see where we could make the most meaningful change and it became clear that hydraulics would be a great place to start. Metal AM can provide the efficiency, sustainability and performance improvements the industry has long needed, and so we set out to make it central to Domin’s manufacturing processes,” said Marcus Pont, CEO of Domin.
“In an industry so prone to waste and inefficiencies, we believed that metal printing could be the vehicle with which we could disrupt. It’s not just an opportunity for 3D printing, it’s an opportunity to create a new stable technology within hydraulics and motion control. By combining metal 3D printing with other modern tools like advanced motors, hall effect sensors, modern electronics, design and simulation, we are able to achieve that opportunity.”
Horizon Microtechnologies is continuing to advance its testing roadmap, and announced a major milestone: its metal coated micro-AM components have successfully passed radiation resistance testing. The testing simulated a radiation dose that was equivalent to about four years in low earth orbit (LEO), which matches the expected life of many satellite parts. The company investigated if radiation exposure would compromise the coating, or its adhesion to the polymer 3D printed structure, and it was shown that the coatings remain completely adhered and structurally intact during the simulated exposure period. Testing was also designed to see if radiation would degrade the polymer substrate, and as was expected, brittleness increased during exposure. But, while printed parts will definitely be more brittle, it depends on the specific component and application as to whether they’re too brittle. Also, Horizon offers customer-specific support if brittleness is still a challenge after launch, and uses its test data to help optimize part design and geometry.
“This is about delivering proof, rigorous, transparent, and relevant. Our data shows that coated polymer parts can perform reliably even in high-radiation environments, making them increasingly viable for space missions,” said Andreas Frölich, CEO of Horizon Technologies.
“Each successful test expands the envelope of where and how our technology can be used. We’re not just qualifying parts, we’re enabling new possibilities.”
Researchers have developed a flexible, skin-mounted 3D microfluidic device capable of analyzing sweat for real-time health assessment. Image: Da Som Yang from Chung-Ang University
Secreted eccrine sweat can compromise different biochemical components, like metabolites and electrolytes. Non-invasively measuring and analyzing these with wearable microfluidic sensors enables real-time monitoring of daily health status, and disease progression when applicable. These sensors are used for applications like environmental exposure, healthcare, and sports, but there are still challenges to be solved so they can be better optimized. An international team of researchers from Chung-Ang University in South Korea, led by Dr. Da Som Yang, recently demonstrated their work in developing 3D microfluidic structures that are soft and interface with skin for accurate and comprehensive measurement and analysis of sweat rate, cumulative loss, and biochemical content assessment, like chloride and creatinine. Their study shows non-invasive monitoring of critical health indicators, including electrolyte balance, kidney function, and caffeine metabolism, in addition to successful on-body trials that demonstrate the ability to track biomarker changes in real time after supplement or food intake.
“I have long been interested in soft electronics and microfluidic technologies that directly interface with the human body. Sweat, in particular, is a non-invasive biofluid rich in physiological information. However, the concentrations of biomarkers in sweat can change dynamically over time, especially following the intake of food or nutritional supplements. Because these levels can fluctuate greatly between high and low states, an effective tool is needed to track such variations with precision,” said Dr. Yang, Assistant Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Chung-Ang University. “Existing measurement techniques have limitations in both accuracy and dynamic range, making it difficult to capture these dynamic changes. The desire to overcome these challenges motivated this study.”
You can read the team’s published study here.
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