Vertical Integration Supports Additive Manufacturing Success

“We don’t just print parts; we manufacture parts to print,” says Sean Whittaker, founder and CEO of Incodema3D.

The company, located in Ithaca, New York, specializes in direct metal 3D printing of prototypes and production parts for industries including aerospace, medical and motorsports. But Incodema3D doesn’t just provide 3D-printed parts; as Mr. Whittaker’s statement hints, the company provides finished, high-value, functional parts.

That means handling more than just the 3D printing. Production might also include CNC machining, photochemical milling and other postprocessing steps to deliver the final part. Where another user of metal-3D-printing technology might have to print the part then contract with another shop or send it back to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for finishing, Incodema3D provides end-to-end processing.

Incodema3D is able to do this because it is not a stand-alone company. It is the newest of four companies that together make up The Incodema Group. Its sister companies are Incodema (a sheet metal prototyping company), Engineering Manufacturing Technologies (a production metalworking facility) and Newcut Photo Chemical Etching (the company that provides the aforementioned photochemical milling, useful for improving surfaces on additively manufactured parts).

Mr. Whittaker says that The Incodema Group took a “backward approach” into additive manufacturing (AM), meaning that its other, more traditional manufacturing capabilities were well-established before 3D printing was added. But Incodema3D has been successful in AM largely because of its sister companies.

Read about Incodema3D’s vertically integrated approach to AM in this article from Additive Manufacturing.