歐瑞康（Oerlikon）是一家有百年歷史的瑞士企業，是世界上較具創新力的工業集團之一。歐瑞康在2016年底宣布將在美國密歇根州新建一座先進材料工廠，專門生產增材制造金屬粉末和高端的表面涂層材料；隨后在2016年12月，歐瑞康收購了德國領先的金屬增材制造服務公citim，并在2017年年初奠基在美國北卡羅琳娜州新建高端增材零部件生產制造工廠，并計劃于2018年在中國成立零部件打印服務中心，進一步深化了歐瑞康在全球增材制造市場的戰略布局。
△歐瑞康金屬粉末打印的分配器殼體
歐瑞康在金屬增材制造產業有怎樣的布局？為什么選擇在這個時候進軍中國市場？帶著這些問題，南極熊于2017年10月21日對citim聯合創始人及歐瑞康增材制造歐洲制造業務負責人Andreas Berkau先生進行了專訪。在上海臨港松江科技城雙子樓，我們就當前金屬3D打印市場的全球格局以及citim在金屬3D打印發展進程中的角色進行了深度探討。
△AndreasBerkau（右）與南極熊（左）
以下是專訪對話全文。
南極熊：首先請允許我介紹一下自己。我來自中國最大的3D打印媒體平臺之一——南極熊。今天我很榮幸能夠采訪您。能否給我們一個簡短的自我介紹以及你與Citim和Oerlikon的關系？
Andreas Berkau：我叫Andreas Berkau，我畢業于馬格德堡大學生產技術專業，之后我加入了剛剛成立的Citim公司，所以我有機會成為這家公司的第一名員工，之后又成為該公司的一名股東。而這家公司在剛起步的時候就專注于快速成型技術，主要生產汽車行業的零件。所以我有機會接觸到最早的激光設備，并對它們的興趣濃厚。
后來公司的戰略方向開始逐漸轉向增材制造，于是我們從2004年開始使用第一臺基于塑料材料的3D打印設備，2009年隨著第一臺金屬3D打印設備的應用，我們公司開始逐漸從一家原型設計公司轉型升級為一家增材制造服務公司，不久后也在美國設立了一家金屬3D打印的工廠。就在去年年底（2016年）Citim被歐瑞康收購。這是因為全球增材制造市場的迅速擴張，我們也要開始考慮為公司的工業化發展走好下一步。
南極熊：您的客戶在全球范圍內來自于哪些工業領域？
Andreas Berkau：我認為Citim在汽車行業有很強大的背景，這也是作為一家德國公司的傳統。但是隨著增材制造行業的發展，我們也在航空航天，能源，工業，醫療有很多應用。
△歐瑞康在SAMA大會上展示的金屬打印件
南極熊：在所有工業領域中，您認為最有前景的領域是什么？
Andreas Berkau：我認為是航空航天。因為你可以在航空航天領域找到很多的應用案例。醫療行業也是非常有前景的。我們為客戶提供增材制造的解決方案的過程中，其中一個主要問題是零件的成本居高不下。我認為如果這個問題能夠得到解決的話，那么更多的工業零部件可以得益于3D打印技術。雖然我們現在能夠在工業、能源和汽車行業找到很多3D打印的案例，但是如果解決了成本問題，我們運用3D打印技術的機會會有爆發式的增長。
南極熊：2014年開始，中國開始出現好多家金屬3D打印公司，并且每年都在增長。歐瑞康選擇這個時候進軍中國市場，您認為其優勢體現在哪些方面？
Andreas Berkau：我認為歐瑞康的最大優勢在于我們不僅僅是3D打印服務提供商，我們關注的是整個3D打印產業端到端的價值鏈。
公司的業務重點首先是金屬粉末材料。歐瑞康是金屬粉末制造商，在這個領域有非常豐富的經驗。另外我們不僅僅是打印單獨的零部件，而是關注于整個零部件的生產制造工藝流程。這就意味著我們需要整合一整套的后處理工序。收購Citim是歐瑞康進軍增材制造事業的戰略布局第一步，我們有著豐富的經驗并且能夠靈活應用。憑借著這種一整套的生產制造鏈，我認為歐瑞康在市場上具有獨特的地位。
南極熊：您認為目前阻礙金屬3D打印產業的因素有哪些？
Andreas Berkau：我認為有很多。相比其它的傳統制造產業，金屬3D打印是一種全新的技術，所以行業中還沒有權威的制定標準。有時候遇到產品質量表面不合格的情況，這也是由于技術不成熟的原因導致的。因此你就要必須保證產品在其生產周期中，它們的質量穩定性和一致性。
另外我認為未來的一大挑戰是我們如何培養設計師，讓他們發掘3D打印在工業應用上的潛力。傳統的制造思維與3D打印格格不入。為產品找到正確的三維設計方案很重要，然而現在很多設計師缺乏3D打印的設計理念和經驗。你當然可以通過傳統制造方式來制造產品，但是如果你能夠找到3D打印技術的可能性，你就能擺脫傳統思維的限制，開辟巨大的設計空間，創造出全新的、傳統思維難以制造的產品。
當然我們面臨的挑戰不止這些，現階段的設備昂貴、生產效率不夠理想。在未來如果價格能夠降下來，我相信這個產業會有更多的機會出現。
△歐瑞康在SAMA大會上展示的金屬打印件
南極熊：您剛才提到成本問題，成本下降是一個過程。您認為這個過程還需要多久？
Andreas Berkau：我認為其中一個主要因素是設備成本。如果設備的供應量增加市場就有希望把價格降下來。另外一個方面，我看到近幾年越來越多的新技術出現，比如惠普也開始憑借他們獨特的技術信心滿滿地進軍3D打印市場，這些都有可能推動3D打印行業的發展并降低成本。
南極熊：最后一個問題。您對未來的金屬3D打印的發展有何預期？
Andreas Berkau：從全球范圍來看，我認為金屬3D打印產業才剛剛開始。由于是一門全新的技術，在很多工業應用中它都無法與傳統制造方式抗衡，但我相信它將來在制造業中會具有舉足輕重的地位。如果你有機會在這種技術發展的早期切入這個產業，那么將來你一定會成為這個行業的領軍者。
第二屆SAMA國際論壇上，Andreas Berkau先生發表重要演講。演講主題：金屬增材制造在工業燃氣輪機和汽車領域的應用和發展趨勢。
關于citim
創建于1996年的citim是從德國馬格德堡大學分離出來的一家公司。citim是增材制造金屬部件的領先供應商，主要為航空航天、能源、醫藥和汽車行業提供服務。2004年citim發布激光燒結技術，并于2009年將激光熔化技術推向市場。2016年，瑞士歐瑞康集團完成了對citim的收購。
英文專訪錄音原文
Nanjixiong: First please allow me to introduce myself. I’mfrom Nanjixiong which is China’s biggest 3D printing media platform.
It is my honourtoday to give you an interview. Let’s start with the first question. Could you give us a brief self-introductionof yourself and your relationship with citim and the Oerlikon?
Andreas Berkau: Yeah of course. My name is Andreas Berkau. My background, I’m a mechanical engineer. Igraduated from University of Magdeburg and after that I had a chance to join citim,which was founded at this time and so I had a chance to be the first employeein this company and later to one of the shareholders of this company. And this company was focused at the beginningon rapid prototyping, mainly to produce parts for example automotive industry. SoI had a chance to work with one of the first laser machines. It was fascinatingfor me. It was a basic idea to installsome 3D printing equipment in the company. And we started in 2004 with the first plastic machines, 2009 with thefirst metal machines and it changed a little from a prototyping company to anadditive manufacturing company and then as well we opened a facility in the USjust for printing 3D printing metal. Andat the end of last year, citim was acquired from Oerlikon because as the marketfor additive manufacturing changed dramatically and so and definitely we haveto go the next step in our industrialisation.
Nanjixiong: What industrial areas areyour customers coming from in global?
Andreas Berkau: I think citim has a strong background inautomotive industry because as a German company we always have a strongbackground in our automotive. But with additivemanufacturing that changed as well to aero space, energy, general industry andof course some medical application.
Nanjixiong: Among all the industrial areas what do youthink is the most promising area ?
Andreas Berkau: Right now I think the most comes from aerospace,because you can already find some business cases in aerospace. I think medical as well. Because there are always some businesscases. But when we solve the mainproblems for additive manufacturing and one of the main problems is the cost ofthe parts. I think then you have accessto a lot more parts of areas of the industry. I think you can always find some applications in the general industry, Powergeneration as well as automotive. But itwill be much more when we have solved some price topics, Which will widen therange.
Nanjixiong: Since 2014 there are quite a lot of metal 3Dprinting companies founded in China. What do you think are the advantages ofOerlikon entering China market?
Andreas Berkau: I think the big advantage of Oerlikon is thatwe are not just a 3D printing provider. We are focusing on a whole value chain.
It starts with most importanttopic which is the materials. Oerlikon is a powder producer. I have a long time experience withmanufacturing powder materials. Itbrings experience with printing of components and in combination we’re not justprinting parts we are focusing on the component. That means the component is necessary forpost processing and do finishing and applying coding. With this kind of combinationI think Oerlikon has the unique position on the market.
Nanjixiong: Oerlikon is mainly focusedon the metal materials and the citim is mainly focused on the 3D printingservices.
Andreas Berkau: citim is a startingpoint, which is the nucleolus of the 3D printing activities from Oerlikon. We have the experience and we can transferthe experience. It comes all together, which is a good starting point to expandall activities.
Nanjixiong: What do you think are theobstacles that prevent the metal 3D printing in the global?
Andreas Berkau: There are somechallenges. I think the challenges are, one topic is it’s a brand newtechnology so there are not so many standards established in the industry. Thereare a lot of activities to establish some standards. Because this technology isbrand new. So you always have to be surethat you can produce the same quality over a lifetime of a product. So thereare some standards missing and I think quality is a key point. Of course, you do have some issues withsurface qualities sometimes but it’s a definitely a new technology to produceparts.
I think one of themain challenges in the future is we have to teach the designer aboutpossibilities that 3D printing can offer. Traditional thinking is not in 3Dprinting. So I think there is a lack ofknowledge for the designers and it is really important that you apply the rightdesign for parts. If you just doing aconventional design and try to print these parts of course it’s possible. But when you have the right design, I thinkthere is more possibilities to find new products and to design complete newcomponents. And of course there are someother challenges as well. Machines areexpensive and productivity is not so high. That means the costs for parts are really high and you have to find theright components today. It is possibleto find components but you have to pick up the right components. And in the future when the price comes downfor materials, for machines, and I think there are more opportunities.
Nanjixiong: You mentioned cost, how long do you thinkwill the cost in metal 3d printing industry coming down?
Andreas Berkau: That is a difficult question. Of course we produce parts, but as a mainquestion I think it is more related to the machine suppliers because they aremore able to reduce the price. I thinkto have, if you have more machines than market then we have scaling for themachine manufactures and then the machine price will come down. That is one topic and on the other hand yousee some new technologies coming to the market for printing as well metalparts. I think that maybe will have more speed in the future to decrease theprice. You can see the same right nowfor plastic parts since HP jumped into the market with a lot of promise. The speed for new developments will increase.And I see the same for metal.
Nanjixiong: So next question. What is your vision of this metal 3D printingin Europe?
Andreas Berkau: I think it’s more in theglobe because it’s a brand new technology and we are just starting. We have to exploreit. So right now it is interesting and fascinating but it is still aniche. I think my vision is that thistechnology will definitely be a standard technology in the future. For someapplications it will not compete with existing technologies but it is a newtechnology to produce parts and I think it will be established more or less inall industry in the future. That is whyI think this really small business when you look at the global scale I think itwill be a standard in the future for many industries. And I think there is a chance if you areearly in this industry and that you will be one of the leader in the future.
Nanjixiong: This is all my questions Ihave for today. Thank you very much.
Andreas Berkau: You are very welcome.
