General Atomics Aeronautical on metal Additive Manufacturing’s place at the centre of the digital manufacturing revolution

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is the world leader in the design and manufacture of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The company is no stranger to AM, with its Additive Design and Manufacturing Center of Excellence being integral to the qualification of more than 300 AM flight components and the installation of more than 10,000 AM parts on its aircraft. Now, it is working to identify and partner with some of the most innovative players in the industry in order to further leverage the capabilities of the technology. Divergent Technologies, the company behind Czinger Vehicles, is one such company. Jeff Kerns reports for Metal AM magazine. ... Read more »

Kennametal: The story of the successful commercialisation of AM hardmetal and steel solutions

Kennametal is a particularly interesting company when it comes to the adoption of Additive Manufacturing. It is a dynamic global producer of tooling and industrial materials with sales of $2 billion in 2022, yet its roots are very much in ‘old school’ sinter-based PM processes. It is, therefore, no surprise that the company was an early adopter of AM, leveraging its materials and sintering expertise, as well as its broad customer base, to develop a leading position in the AM of hardmetals and steels. Bernard North, who fortuitously happens to be a past VP Industrial Technology at Kennametal, visited the company’s AM operation and reports for Metal AM magazine. ... Read more »

An inside perspective on China’s thriving metal Additive Manufacturing industry

A decade ago, the majority of commercial metal Additive Manufacturing machine, materials and application developments took place in Europe and North America. Today, the picture is very different and China in particular has become a leading global player. Clear national strategies, combined with a strong drive to leverage commercial opportunities, have resulted in a powerful and dynamic metal AM industry that is moving rapidly towards self-sufficiency. In this article, Xuesong Pan (Peter), co-founder of China’s 3D printing media company Nanjixiong, reports on recent developments. ... Read more »

Case study: The development of a multi-material heat sink by Additive Manufacturing using Aerosint technology

Additive Manufacturing offers the opportunity to transform industrial production. Currently, however, AM components are typically produced in only one material, which in many cases does not allow for full performance utilisation. In this article, Xiaoshuang Li and Arthur Seibel describe, through a heat sink case study, how multi-material design and manufacturing can increase component performance as well as integrate additional functionalities when using the Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) process. ... Read more »

Metal Additive Manufacturing for digital dentistry: An introduction for dental professionals

Thanks to a new generation of compact metal Additive Manufacturing machines optimised for dental laboratories, combined with software improvements and optimised workflows, AM technology is now being more widely implemented in medium- to large-sized dental laboratories. In this article, Stijn Hanssen, Director, Dental Applications & Business Development, 3D Systems, reports on the application of metal AM technology for digital dentistry, reducing labour costs, maximising productivity and providing faster outcomes for patients. ... Read more »

Additive Manufacturing for jewellery and watchmaking: Exploring the potential of sinter-based technologies

Three years ago, Metal AM magazine published a widely read article on the use of Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) technology for precious metal jewellery production. Today, the continuing rise of sinter-based AM technologies promises to open up the jewellery sector yet further, with new opportunities for both mass-market production as well as bespoke pieces. Chiara Armbruster, Sonja Kappler, Carlo Burkhardt, Gerald Mitteramskogler and Apollinaria Frydmann offer an overview of this new generation of solutions and the state of the technology. A number of application examples are also presented. ... Read more »

Separation anxiety: Lessons learned at NASA from a developmental rocket engine failure

So much is discovered when it just all goes wrong. From a ‘design-fail-fix’ perspective, it’s expected that developmental components may be pushed to destruction. With rocket engines that operate near the limits of their performance, however, the need to understand the causes of a failure is critical. In the competitive commercial space business there’s a clear advantage not to disclose knowledge gained from such incidents. Thankfully, NASA can share what others cannot. Here, Alison Park, Deputy Technical Fellow, Materials and Additive Manufacturing, and Paul Gradl, Principal Engineer, share insights into one failure. ... Read more »

What is ‘good’ metal AM? Exploring the industry’s value metrics for production

The Additive Manufacturing industry is in a state of continual evolution. As one group of processes moves towards widespread adoption, others are being introduced and refined. In such a dynamic environment, how do we define AM, and what does ‘good’ AM look like? This article considers the status quo of conventional manufacturing before comparing key AM processes. Steven Camilleri, Andrew Duguid, Sam Katz and Chris Massar (SPEE3D), Martin McMahon (MAM Solutions), Victor Champagne (US Army Research Laboratory), Ozan Özdemir (Northeastern University), Anthony Naccarelli and Timothy Eden (Penn State), Krishnan Kannoorpatti (Charles Darwin University) and Bruce McLean (University of Sydney) unravel AM’s value metrics. ... Read more »

Corrosion and wear resistance of materials processed by beam-based AM technologies

Materials
December 20, 2022

A technical session at the World PM2022 Congress & Exhibition, organised by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) and held in Lyon, France, October 9-13, 2022, focused on the corrosion and wear resistance of materials processed using beam-based Additive Manufacturing. This session comprised three papers which looked at ways to improve these properties – both particular pain points for AM’s wider adoption – by way of chemical-mechanical surface polishing, adjusted laser power, and the development of new, wear-resistant alloys for AM. Dr David Whittaker reviews the presented papers. ... Read more »

Insights from R&D to part production: How CT analysis can advance metal Binder Jetting

ProcessingSoftware
December 20, 2022

In the race to optimise AM technologies for the creation of both breakthrough designs and direct part replacements, it is more necessary than ever that companies have access to the deep insights and data needed to advance part designs and processing at every phase of product development. Thanks to its ability to provide these insights non-destructively and in great detail, CT analysis provides an invaluable tool for the advancement of AM processes and their adoption. Philip Sperling, Product Manager AM at Volume Graphics, explains how CT analysis can advance the development and adoption of metal Binder Jetting (BJT). ... Read more »

Using the Six Sigma method to optimise metal powder spreading in PBF-LB

Processing
December 20, 2022

In Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB), powder is applied to the build platform by a recoater unit performing a horizontal movement. Though not often the focus of research, the quality of powder layers has a significant influence on the quality of the final part, making the powder application process highly relevant to PBF-LB’s productivity and reliability. A collaborative project between the Chair of Hybrid Additive Manufacturing (HAM) at the Ruhr University Bochum and the consulting firm MTS Consulting Partner has shown how the Six Sigma method can be used to improve the process of metal powder application in the PBF-LB process. ... Read more »

NanoAL: Alloy development on an open parameter PBF-LB machine, from installation through to Rapid Alloy Screening

When NanoAL, LLC, a company with a decade of aluminium alloy development experience, decided to speed up its development of alloys for AM, it turned to SLM Solutions’ SLM®125 PBF-LB machine. As NanoAL’s Matthew Simmers explains, the company needed a workhorse machine that fulfilled a number of requirements, from open parameters and material flexibility to specifications and build quality that closely mirrored larger, production-focused machines. This article explores machine choice, installation, and operation in supporting NanoAL’s Rapid Alloy Screening (RAS) process. ... Read more »

In the latest issue of Metal AM magazine

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Extensive AM industry news coverage, as well as the following exclusive deep-dive articles:

  • Metal powders in Additive Manufacturing: An exploration of sustainable production, usage and recycling
  • Inside Wayland Additive: How innovation in electron beam PBF is opening new markets for AM
  • An end-to-end production case study: Leveraging data-driven machine learning and autonomous process control in AM
  • Consolidation, competition, and the cost of certification: Insight from New York’s AM Strategies 2024
  • Scandium’s impact on the Additive Manufacturing of aluminium alloys
  • AM for medical implants: An analysis of the impact of powder reuse in Powder Bed Fusion

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