It is no secret that metal Additive Manufacturing still faces significant challenges that stand in the way of broader adoption in industry. Aside from AM service providers, very few small- to medium-sized enterprises have brought metal AM in-house; many lack the capabilities, knowledge and resources to do so, even if the will is there. In this article, Olaf Diegel, Noah Mostow and Terry Wohlers discuss the complex, and often multi-faceted, obstacles that stand between AM and its wider global adoption, and how those obstacles can be addressed and resolved in order to clear the path to achieving the technology’s full market potential. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 1, Spring 2021]
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Within the programme of the well-received Euro PM2020 Virtual Congress, held October 5–7, 2020, and organised by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA), a technical session was held on process control in metal Binder Jetting. In this article, Dr David Whittaker provides a summary of two of the papers presented, which look at applying the Master Sintering Curve for 316L parts, and process parameter optimisation for 17-4 PH parts. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 1, Spring 2021]
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There is growing interest in the use of metal Additive Manufacturing for the production of jewellery and luxury watch components. This interest is driven not only by the potential design innovation offered by Additive Manufacturing, but also by the recognition of the environmental and economic advantages to be gained from it. In this in-depth report, Jochen Heinrich, Thomas Laag and Thierry Copponnex review the processing of platinum group metals by Additive Manufacturing. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 1, Spring 2021]
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In the early days of metal Additive Manufacturing process development, automation was off the radar of machine manufacturers. Technologies created for rapid prototyping simply had no need for it and, until the last decade, few truly anticipated the pace at which Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion and Binder Jetting have evolved in the race towards the series production of metal parts. In this article, Joseph Kowen reports on how the industry has addressed the challenges of automation so far, and what developments we can expect in the near future. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 4, Winter 2020]
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China’s Falcontech Co. Ltd. is well on the way to completing its first ‘Super AM factory’, designed to house fifty metal Additive Manufacturing machines supplied by its partner, Farsoon Technologies. Whilst the wider story may take in the dramatic rise of Additive Manufacturing in China over the last decade, at the heart of this ambitious project’s success is the story of a successful partnership between an AM technology supplier and its customer. In this article, Chenlu Fang, Global Marketing Manager of Farsoon Technologies, interviews Shen Yulan, General Manager of Falcontech, and Li Wei, its Sales Director, to tell the story of the company’s rise, its ambitions and the partners’ close collaboration. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 4, Winter 2020]
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In October 2020, New York City-based space technology company Launcher started testing its full-sized E-2 liquid rocket engine, designed to deliver the highest performance at the lowest cost for smaller space launch vehicles. That the E-2 features a one metre tall single-piece copper alloy Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) combustion chamber is remarkable. What is even more impressive is the fact that Launcher, a company with less than twenty employees, achieved this in a short time frame and to a relatively modest budget. Metal AM magazine’s Nick Williams reports on the project and Launcher’s close collaboration with specialist PBF-LB machine builder AMCM GmbH. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 4, Winter 2020]
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The Additive Manufacturing industry in South Africa has come a long way since the installation of the country’s first AM machine in 1991, with a number of research and commercial initiatives driving the development of world-class applications and knowledge. In this article, Terry Wohlers and Olaf Diegel, Wohlers Associates, present an overview of metal Additive Manufacturing activities in South Africa, from the technology’s life-changing use for medical implants to its development for rapid, large-scale part production and beyond. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 4, Winter 2020]
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In conventional subtractive manufacturing process chains, components move efficiently throughout a production chain using pallets and standard referencing and clamping systems, enabling parts to be automatically processed by a variety of technologies as they move through a facility. GF Machining Solutions’ System 3R division has leveraged its expertise in this area to create a tooling solution tailored to Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) production. As Dogan Basic, Product Manager AM, explains, this optimises workflow, increasing the potential for AM automation and, as a result, for successful series production. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 4, Winter 2020]
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As industry marches toward automation, networked communication and robotics, Additive Manufacturing has a unique advantage. No other production technology has been designed, from its inception, to enable connectivity and communication; AM machines around the world are already producing more build data than any other manufacturing technology. If used properly, this data will provide the foundation for the development of Machine Learning tools that can improve and industrialise the AM process at nearly every point in the workflow. In this article, Chelsea Cummings and John Barnes, from The Barnes Global Advisors, discuss the present and future of Machine Learning in AM. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 4, Winter 2020]
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Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is widely applied to solve a broad range of research and engineering problems, from aerodynamics to engine combustion and microfluidics. In this article, Pareekshith Allu, Senior CFD Engineer at Flow Science, Inc, explains how CFD can also be used to improve laser- and non-laser-based metal Additive Manufacturing processes, including Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB), Directed Energy Deposition (DED), Binder Jetting (BJT) and Material Extrusion (MEX). [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 4, Winter 2020]
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For a country with a total population significantly smaller than that of cities such as London or New York, New Zealand is ‘punching above its weight’ when it comes to developing expertise in Additive Manufacturing and educating design engineers in how to use it. Olaf Diegel, a professor at New Zealand’s University of Auckland and associate consultant at Wohlers Associates, and Terry Wohlers, president of Wohlers Associates, report on AM activities and highlight a novel range of successful commercial applications. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 3, Autumn/Fall 2020]
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Whilst Additive Manufacturing as a technology is proving its worth through an ever growing list of innovative, real-word applications, the obstacles faced by players in the current AM supply chain are numerous, ranging from skills shortages to a highly-complex supply chain, high costs and fluctuating product demand. To address this, Neighborhood 91, an end-to-end AM production campus, is being created in the US city of Pittsburgh that, as Laura Ely and John Barnes report, seeks to condense and connect all components of the Additive Manufacturing supply chain into one powerful production ecosystem. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 3, Autumn/Fall 2020]
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