Belgian national Maxime Delmée has cause for celebration. His startup AM 4 AM graduated the latest Fit 4 Start programme, he is expanding the company and the entrepreneur has just turned 32. Even more impressive is the fact that this is his first job.
Having studied chemistry in Namur, Belgium, and then completed his PhD thesis in material science specialized in the design of biomedical devices and coatings at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, in 2018 Delmée decided to make a pivot.
“A mentor told me that with the background I acquired during my thesis, I could do something in additive manufacturing. At the time, I was looking for a job in the industry,” he recalls.
The chemist began researching new material needs and processes and existing solutions on the market. He then spent six months developing and patenting his own innovative industrial process, a high-performance aluminium alloy for 3D printing called HiPerAL.
“In fact we have the possibility to develop hundreds of alloys in the next few years.”
Maxime Delmée, Founder of AM 4 AM
As a newcomer to the startup ecosystem, Delmée says the learning curve since launching his business in April 2019 has been a sharp one. “I’m learning all of the time and programmes like Fit 4 Start really helped me to go from being a technical person to entrepreneur. It really added value to the people and then to the company,” the founder said.
The AM 4 AM solution solves some of the biggest challenges in additive manufacturing: that only 2% of all metals used in the conventional industry can be processed and that when aluminium is processed for 3D printing, it generates pores and cracks leading to innapropriate mechanical properties.
“We have a material that is really strong, which is extremely complicated to obtain right now. HiPerAL is already in the top five in terms of mechanical resistance in the market,” explained Delmée.
The strong mechanical properties and light weight of the additive make it ideal for a number of applications, including in the automotive and aeronautics industries, although the company is first focusing on customers in the space sector where it can be used in satellites and other applications in order to enhance their performance, decrease their launch cost and their carbon footprint. HiPerAL uses no solvents or chemicals, only gas and electricity, a loop that it hopes to close in the future by integrating more waste and recycled parts.
In future, AM 4 AM also plans to develop new products like other aluminium alloys or also copper. For this, the entrepreneur says he will take a backseat on the research side, to allow him to focus more on managing the company.
Delmée said: “In fact we have the possibility to develop hundreds of alloys in the next few years. The idea is to grow with these materials and also to take feedback from our customers to see what they want on the market and is that possible?”
AM 4 AM has received around €50k through the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme for the development of the HiPerAL, as well as funding from Fit 4 Start. It is currently raising pre-seed funding to grow the company.
Currently located at the Technoport in Foetz, AM 4 AM plans to have its first production unit operational by the end of 2022.
