Wayland Additive’s Calibur3 PBF-EB machine installed at University of Innsbruck
Wayland Additive, based in Huddersfield, England, has announced that its Calibur3 Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-EB) machine has now been installed at the University of Innsbruck, Austria.
The machine is now fully installed within the Faculty of Engineering Sciences at the University of Innsbruck, where the team focuses on material and process development for difficult-to-process and high-temperature materials with metal Additive Manufacturing.
Assistant Professor Dr Lukas Zelger, coordinator of the Materials Science Group, commented: “The Calibur3 is the first system of this new PBF-EB generation in Austria. What makes it stand out for us are its broad process monitoring capabilities as well as the innovative Active Charge Neutralisation technology. In combination, they allow us to follow a data-driven approach to push the limits of the technology, break new ground and to work in the processing gap between traditional PBF-LB and PBF-EB.”
For those at Innsbruck, the rationale behind this purchase was based on the fact that traditional PBF-EB machines require extensive pre-sintering of the powder bed to mitigate smoke events caused by electrostatic charging. Wayland’s NeuBeam technology neutralises the charge during the build process.
Dr. Jakob Braun, Senior Scientist at the University of Innsbruck, commented: “I regard the Wayland Calibur3 machine as the most innovative PBF-EB machine for materials research on the market at the moment. This is because of the freedom in temperature management independent of an otherwise necessary pre-sintering step and full control of the scanning strategy in combination with high-speed, high resolution thermal imaging which is especially beneficial for adjusting the microstructures of the alloys to achieve the best material properties.”
Beyond charge neutralisation, the Calibur3 machine features an open architecture that enables researchers to modify scan strategies, beam parameters and energy input in real time. Innsbruck has also selected the optional small build tank (SBT), which supports faster process development using limited quantities of high-value alloy powders.
The acquisition of the Calibur3 at the University of Innsbruck was made possible by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) as part of the “R&D Infrastructure Funding Program 2024”. Representatives from both Wayland Additive and the University of Innsbruck will be at Formnext in Frankfurt this November.
