The brilliant position in the market of Concept Laser, the developer of the LaserCUSING process, also referred to as 3D metal printing, is also again reflected in the prizes and awards won in recent months. As well as winning the “International Additive Manufacturing Award 2016” in March 2016, Concept Laser and Frank Herzog, founder and President & CEO were delighted to receive five further awards. Firstly Frank Herzog was recognized for his pioneering work and innovative achievements as well as his entrepreneurial ideas and activity, and secondly Concept Laser was also able to impress the expert jury with its solutions for both products and applications.
Frank Herzog views the prizes and awards as a confirmation of the pioneering work and innovations that Concept Laser has now been delivering for 16 years in the field of powder-bed-based laser melting with metals: “Our drive to improve the quality and speed in additive manufacturing have helped to establish 3D metal printing as a manufacturing technology and even make it of interest for industrial series production. But the ever-rising demand and the associated dynamic growth of recent years also require constant adaptation of the company’s internal processes, a carefully considered entrepreneurial way of thinking and acting, and of course a committed workforce. We see the rapid development of recent years and the awards that have come with this as the motivation to continue to advance 3D metal printing and develop it at the very highest level.”
Frank Herzog crowned the “Best Pioneer in the Manufacturing and 3D Printing Industry 2016”
In October, Frank Herzog was honored by the European Business magazine (UK) as the “Best Pioneer in the Manufacturing and 3D Printing Industry 2016.” The readers of the magazine voted by a large majority for the pioneer of the LaserCUSING process. With the development of powder-bed-based 3D metal printing, the presentation of the first industrial machine of this type at Euromold 2001 and numerous other innovations resulting in 65 patents and 120 ongoing patent applications, he has made a lasting impact on the industry and on additive manufacturing – this was the verdict of the European Business magazine and its readers.
Frank Herzog again declared the “Best CEO in the Additive Manufacturing Industry”
In addition, in December, for the second time in a row, Frank Herzog was also delighted to receive the award as “Best CEO in the Additive Manufacturing Industry.” This award has been presented for more than eight years in different categories by the “European CEO” magazine in London. A network of journalists and industry insiders observes trends, initiatives and developments that are helping to shape Europe’s industrial landscape across all different sectors and the managers and CEOs behind this. The magazine produces a quarterly report on the latest activities of business leaders in print and online. The aim of the award is to recognize outstanding entrepreneurs. To do this, each year “European CEO” asks its readers which entrepreneurs should be considered in the various categories. This then results in a list of potential candidates. The final decision is then made by an internal jury based on selected criteria. In 2016 Frank Herzog was again able to win over the readers and the jury with his outstanding innovative achievements for additive manufacturing and his outstanding level of performance as a manager within a dynamically growing company. The winners will be presented again in the magazine as part of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2017.
Concept Laser is one of the Focus “Growth Champions 2017”
Concept Laser’s successes as a business are also reflected directly in the company’s growth in sales. For the second year in a row, Germany’s Focus magazine voted the developer and machine manufacturer from the German town of Lichtenfels as one of the Focus “Growth Champions” with its outstanding sales growth. Every year, in collaboration with the statistics portal Statista, the news magazine Focus calculates the companies in Germany with the highest increase in sales. The Focus Special edition presents 500 companies that achieved a particularly high percentage growth in sales between 2012 and 2015. Within the space of three years, sales at Concept Laser rose from 17.7 million euros to 67.3 million euros. In the overall rankings, Concept Laser therefore came in 155th place (out of 500) and was ranked 8th in the machinery and plant engineering industry grouping. An impressive average annual growth rate of 56% underscores the capacity for innovation and the importance of 3D metal printing as a manufacturing technology of the future.
Concept Laser wins the Bavarian Innovation Award 2016
For the third time, the Bavarian State Ministry of the Economy and Media, Energy and Technology, the Bavarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Consortium of Bavarian Chambers of Crafts presented the Bavarian Innovation Award in the Hall of Honor of the German Museum in Munich. The Bavarian State Government presents the award to recognize companies that have the courage and persistence to try new things and develop innovative ideas until they become economically viable. Prizes are awarded to product and process innovations as well as innovative technology-based services that have already achieved initial success in the market or whose success in the market is foreseeable. Innovations then that make an outstanding contribution to boosting Bavaria as a place to do business. Concept Laser won the coveted award with its “QM Meltpool 3D” quality assurance module and with the application motto “X-raying without X-rays.” Concept Laser won out against around 190 applications. The jury praised the benefits of QM Meltpool 3D. It makes it possible to verify and document the level of quality directly during the build process and offers considerable time and cost benefits compared to existing testing methods, such as computed tomography. Dr. Florian Bechmann and Fabian Zeulner were delighted to receive the award from Ilse Aigner, Bavarian Minister of State for the Economy and Media, Energy and Technology, on behalf of Concept Laser in Munich in November.
Materialica Design + Technology Award 2016 received
But Concept Laser and its project partners were also able to win people over with applications at the Materialica trade show in Munich. Together with the companies EDAG Engineering, Laser Zentrum Nord and the BLM Group, Concept Laser received the “Materialica Design + Technology Award 2016.” For the 14th time in a row, a jury of experts from the worlds of science and industry praised a project for outstanding innovative achievements in the application of materials. In a setting befitting the occasion, the project team accepted the award for the joint “NextGen Spaceframe” project. The combination of outstanding design and high technological expertise was ultimately the crucial factor that led to the prize being awarded. The “NextGen Spaceframe” highlights new prospects for bionics and lightweight construction in automotive engineering in a concept car: Additively manufactured bodywork nodes and lasered profiles are combined in a hybrid manufacturing concept. The adaptable bodywork concept that can be manufactured flexibly opens up new opportunities in automation and JIS (just-in-sequence) manufacturing of bodies that are optimized to withstand load forces.
