LPW Technology open new £20m manufacturing facility

LPW Technology, the leading manufacturer of ultra-clean additive manufacturing (AM) metal powders and powder traceability solutions for the metal 3D printing industry, has officially opened its £20m purpose-built AM metal powder manufacturing facility.

The 90,000 sqft (9,700 m²) building sits on a seven-acre site in Widnes near Liverpool.

LPW Technology has opened a new £20m metal powder manufacturing facility in Widnes / Picture: LPW Technology

LPW’s vision is to “Understand Additive Manufacturing from the perspective of the metal powder”. This unique vision has allowed LPW to build the first metal powder production facility in the world dedicated to Additive Manufacturing. Quality control is ensured through a complete digital integration of processes and a focus on contamination control throughout.

The factory houses a variety of powder production equipment referred to as atomisers, which melt feedstock at approximately 1700ºC. 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 the high-tech company 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 fully equipped with LPW’s PowderLife, metal powder lifecycle tracking system, to ensure that from raw material to customer site the material is strictly controlled.

In addition to manufacturing AM specific metal powder, LPW houses world leading material testing equipment to fully characterise metal powders and 3D Printers to develop the next generation of materials for AM. The unique portfolio of atomisation processes, range of AM metal powders and PowderSolve industry 4.0 process software has been developed by LPW to increase material yield and ultimately reduce risk throughout the AM process.

Dr Carroll said “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. 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.”

Leader of Halton Borough Council, Cllr Rob Polhill, added: “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.