Anyone who starts out on their own evaluation of the opportunities presented by metal Additive Manufacturing will soon stumble across the phrase ‘build failure’. Whilst there can be many causes for a failed build, which of course comes at a significant cost in terms of both material wastage and machine time, residual stress is often at the top of the list. As Olaf Diegel and Terry Wohlers explain, residual stress can be both anticipated and managed though a combination of basic design rules, process settings and post-build heat treatment [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 4, Winter 2018]
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Arcast Inc., based in Oxford, Maine, USA, is today emerging as a leader in advanced melting and metal powder atomisation technologies, with a diverse international customer base. As Metal AM magazine reports, the company provides processing solutions for some of the most challenging alloys, as well as offering through its new venture, Arcast Materials, a range of commercially-produced metal powders [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 4, Winter 2018]
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Much of metal Additive Manufacturing’s recent success has been driven by the aerospace sector, where demanding applications have propelled progress in all aspects of the technology, from process stability and quality to part design and materials. Together, these advances are enabling metal AM to meet the next challenge: that of wider serial production. As the University of Bremen’s Christian Kober reports, it was this challenge that formed the central theme at this year’s International Conference on Additive Manufacturing in Aerospace [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 4, Winter 2018]
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As one of the world’s largest industrial companies, Siemens has experienced first hand the process of taking metal AM from the R&D laboratory to the series production of critical components for its power generation business. Today, it is supporting the global industrialisation of the technology through its Siemens NX Additive Manufacturing software. In the following report the company’s Aaron Frankel and Ashley Eckhoff explain their belief that, whilst the potential of AM is massive, digitalisation will play a critical role in enabling its transition from a prototyping tool to a serial production technology [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 3, Autumn 2018]
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With the launch of HP’s new Metal Jet system, Binder Jetting looks like the technology that will help move metal Additive Manufacturing into the realms of mainstream high-volume manufacturing. GKN Powder Metallurgy is set to be the first global parts manufacturer to move into mass production with this technology and, in the following report, the company outlines the evolution of its AM operations to-date and its expectations for the future [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 3, Autumn 2018]
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Much of the early success for metal Additive Manufacturing came from tool and die applications and this sector continues to offer significant growth potential for the industry. In this report, Jarod Rauch, from tool and die manufacturer B&J Speciality Inc, and David Lindemann, 3D Systems, share their thoughts on the current status and future potential of AM conformal cooling solutions with Metal AM magazine’s Nick Williams [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 3, Autumn 2018]
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In July 2018, Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine’s Emily-Jo Hopson attended the company’s exclusive EOS Technology Days for an advance preview of its new metal Additive Manufacturing system, the EOS M 300, and a look at its vision for AM and the technology’s place in the digital factory of the future. Held at the company’s attractive rural headquarters in Krailling, Germany, the event offered attendees insight into areas that are key to EOS’s current development strategy [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 3, Autumn 2018]
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What’s happening in metal Additive Manufacturing in China? Quite a lot it seems; however, the extent and nature of this activity, and what can be expected from Chinese systems manufacturers in the coming years, can be unclear to Western observers. In the following report, Joseph Kowen offers a brief look into the current state of the metal AM industry in China. As well as presenting an overview of machine-related activity in this fast growing part of the world, he considers to what extent we can expect to see an increased presence of Chinese suppliers in western countries [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 3, Autumn 2018]
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In recent years there has been a surge in interest in the use of Binder Jetting and Fused Deposition Modelling for the production of low to medium volumes of metal additively manufactured parts. In the following report, Maximilian Munsch, Matthias Schmidt-Lehr and Eric Wycisk of Ampower GmbH & Co KG, Hamburg, Germany, review how the success of Metal Injection Moulding has enabled these technological innovations. They also compare some of key properties and costs to enable designers to better understand the readiness of these technologies for commercial production [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 3, Autumn 2018]
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The past decade has seen tremendous growth in metal Additive Manufacturing. To a certain degree, the field has become a victim of its own success, resulting in a number of myths, misconceptions and untruths. Some of these are even becoming detrimental to the further adoption of AM around the world. Olaf Diegel and Terry Wohlers draw on their combined industry experience to address the ten most common misunderstandings and myths relating to AM and present the reality of the technology at its current stage [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 3, Autumn 2018]
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Over the past few years, metal Additive Manufacturing has received a lot of attention, and with good reason: the technology has the potential to radically alter the design and production of components and products in many industries. Yet in spite of the excitement that surrounds AM, the prospect of wider industrial adoption continues to face significant challenges. Ansys Inc’s Dave Conover explains how simulation, traditionally the domain of product design instead of manufacturing, has swiftly gained recognition as a key technology which can be used to ease the transition from conventional to Additive Manufacturing [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 3, Autumn 2018]
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In May this year, GE held its first ‘Industry in 3D’ event, gathering several hundred international participants from the world of business to discover the current status of Additive Manufacturing and the opportunities that it presents to industry. Whilst the technology has come on rapidly in recent years, GE recognises that there is still a long way to go to convince many business leaders that ‘the time is now’ for its wider adoption. As Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine’s Nick Williams reports, this event sought, through GE’s story and those of its partners and customers, to make the case for AM [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 2, Summer 2018]
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