The frenzy of media attention surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) dwarfs the past hype surrounding Additive Manufacturing (AM). Whether you look to the future with fear or excitement, there is no escaping the wave of change that is coming. Whilst we once again hear words like ‘revolution’ being used – to which so many have become immune – Dr Omar Fergani believes that we are now at a crucial point of convergence for AM and AI. Here, he explains why AM is in an especially strong position to leverage the potential of AI, with the power to transform many areas of our industry, from part design to machine operation, quality management and beyond.
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Across the world, a new wave of aerospace engineers are designing and building the next generation of aero engines and systems around the revolutionary capabilities of Additive Manufacturing. Twenty years ago this was a vision, but today it is a reality. From fuel nozzles to Stage 5 and Stage 6 low pressure turbine (LPT) blades, housings to structural elements, in this article Metal AM magazine’s Technical Consultant Martin McMahon reviews the progress that has been made, shining a light on selected applications that offer insight to those in the aerospace industry who want to get up to speed with progress.
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The new space race is powered by metal Additive Manufacturing. In turn, the Additive Manufacturing of rocket engines is powered by advanced alloys. Of these, NASA’s GRCop family has found use in numerous critical applications. In this article, Austin Whitt and David Ellis, NASA Glenn Research Center, and Paul Gradl, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, dig deep into the history, production, processing and maturation of these unique materials. As the authors reveal, there is good reason why Additive Manufacturing of GRCop begins by understanding the process-microstructure-property-performance relationship.
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Metal AM offers the jewellery industry significant creative and commercial opportunities. One such opportunity is the production of platinum and titanium jewellery by Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB), a process described as a “match made in heaven” for these metals. This technology offers jewellery designers advantages that include greater creative freedom, the precise control of weight, and a path to scale-up production. Here, Michela Ferraro explores the status of AM for jewellery manufacturers and highlights innovative and critically acclaimed pieces produced by the technology.
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In the digital world of Additive Manufacturing, just how cybersecure are your operations and your customers’ critical parts? A survey of AM producers has suggested that the answer is probably not secure enough. In this article, Auburn University’s Prof Mark Yampolskiy, and industry analyst Joseph Kowen, present a high-altitude overview of the security threats facing those in the AM community. Cybersecurity, they suggest, should be considered as no less important than metallurgy or ‘Design for AM’ and, with the development of AM-specific standards and third-party security solutions, it need not be an overwhelming task.
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When it comes to presenting a review of the world’s largest international exhibition for AM, one can go about it in two ways: very broad generalisations about the state of the industry or a more focused review of a handful of noteworthy developments. Given the 859 exhibitors at Formnext 2023, spread over some 54,000 m2, this review by Dr Martin McMahon takes the latter approach, offering broader context where possible. Whilst many more press announcements are covered in the industry news section of this issue, the following report provides an overview of how – and where – AM is evolving and maturing into a credible and dynamic technology.
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Metal Additive Manufacturing is rapidly gaining momentum across a broad range of industries and is often used for producing components for challenging applications such as medical implants and rocket engines. To maximise the mechanical strength and fatigue resistance of such critical AM parts, they must be processed by Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) to eliminate any residual porosity, and heat treated. Jim Shipley from Quintus Technologies provides an overview of HIP and High Pressure Heat Treatment technology for Powder Bed Fusion AM and considers the opportunities that a new generation of HIP equipment presents.
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While the Norwegian market for Additive Manufacturing has long revolved around prototyping and polymer materials, metal Additive Manufacturing has seen rapid development in recent years. This is in large part thanks to the opportunities that the country’s oil and gas industry is now seeing in the technology. In this article, Joppe N Christensen considers why it has taken so long to get started with metal AM in Norway and introduces companies and individuals who are now leading the way.
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While metal Additive Manufacturing is revolutionising industries from aerospace to healthcare, the need for efficient process development and the acquisition of validated material data is becoming increasingly important. In this context, a groundbreaking solution emerges – that of the platform-based exploitation of metal AM data assets to accelerate industrialisation and unlock new revenue streams. Here, Rosswag GmbH’s Philipp Schwarz and Gregor Graf delve into the significance of this concept and how it fits as a crucial piece in the AM industrialisation puzzle.
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France’s ADAXIS is tackling two of the most complex advanced industrial manufacturing disciplines head on — Robotics and Additive Manufacturing. Its solution aims to make robotic Additive Manufacturing more accessible to any company that wants it, including for metal processes, irrespective of background or industry sector. Rachel Park spoke with Henri Bernard and Emil Johansson, two of ADAXIS’ co-founders, as well as project partners, to discover their story and ambitions.
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Since the first conference on electron beam Additive Manufacturing in Nuremberg in 2016, the EBAM conference series has been the central meeting point for industry and academia to exchange knowledge on this dynamic area of AM. After the event was forced to go virtual in 2020 due to COVID-19, attendees were finally able to meet face-to-face again in Erlangen, March 22-24. Marie Franke-Jurisch and Dr Matthias Markl report on recent developments in materials, process, and machine technology, all of which serve to demonstrate that electron beam-based technologies are once again firmly established in the metal Additive Manufacturing world.
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Binder Jetting’s position as an accepted mass production technology for precision metal components is on the near horizon. The coming success will, however, rely as much on expertise in the sintering process as it does on expertise in jetting binder onto a powder bed to make ‘green’ parts. This article reports on how GKN Powder Metallurgy’s Additive Manufacturing division, GKN Additive, has leveraged decades of sintering expertise in high-capacity continuous furnaces, combined with its application development expertise, to deliver the series production of special filters by Binder Jetting for Schneider Electric.
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