As the metal Additive Manufacturing industry continues to grow at a rapid pace, aluminium and aluminium alloy powders are gaining ever more attention. Component and equipment manufacturers are deploying immense efforts in exploring advanced aluminium alloys in order to target more complex applications that demand higher mechanical performance. As they move forward, the selection and optimisation of powders is becoming increasingly important. In this article, Jessu Joys and colleagues from United States Metal Powders, Inc. (USMP), identify the most popular aluminium alloy grades for AM technology and discuss the unique properties of each powder [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 3, Autumn 2016]
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For the third consecutive year, the Metal Powder Industries Federation’s Additive Manufacturing with Powder Metallurgy (AMPM) conference was held in parallel with its long established POWDERMET conference. This year’s event took place in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, from June 5-8, 2016. In the first of our reports Dr David Whittaker reviews three presentations that focused on the binder jetting process [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 3, Autumn 2016]
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As the metal Additive Manufacturing industry moves towards industrial production, the need for international standards covering all aspects of the technology becomes ever more pressing. In the following exclusive report for Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine, Fraunhofer IFAM’s Claus Aumund-Kopp and Frank Petzoldt review international progress to-date, summarise existing standards for metal AM and consider the challenges that lie ahead [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 2, Summer 2016]
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GKN Sinter Metals, with more than 6,000 employees at 30 locations worldwide, is the world’s leading Powder Metallurgy group. The company produces 11 million PM parts per day, with around 80% going into the automotive industry. The company started its metal Additive Manufacturing activities at its Innovation Centre in Radevormwald, Germany, in 2013. Dr Georg Schlieper visited the centre on behalf of Metal AM magazine and reports on the company’s AM activities and ambitions [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 2, Summer 2016]
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The automotive industry has successfully embraced metal Additive Manufacturing as a prototyping technology for a number of years. As the technology advances, however, the possibilities for the use of metal AM for series component production are now starting to be explored. In the following review the challenges and opportunities for metal AM in the automotive industry are presented, including a radical concept to use AM parts as key structural elements in the next generation of automotive spaceframes [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 2, Summer 2016]
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As one of the first major markets for metal additively manufactured products, the importance of the tooling industry has long been recognised. There is still, however, limited information available on what mechanical properties can be expected for the various materials used. This report by Harish Irrinki, Brenton Barmore, Kunal H Kate and Sundar V Atre reviews the published data on various steel powders and processing conditions as well as the mechanical properties that have been obtained using the Selective Laser Melting process [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 2, Summer 2016]
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In the following article Delcam’s Kelvin Hamilton explores the current possibilities for design, topology optimisation, simulation, process planning and process preparation in metal Additive Manufacturing (AM). Exploring the three Ps, Plan, Prepare and Produce, all the processes involved in transforming three airbrake bracket designs into final products are revealed. As well as explaining how important it is to appreciate and plan for the significant amount of subtractive manufacturing in metal AM, a number of the lessons learnt in this project are discussed as the author reflects on the experience of planning, preparing and producing parts [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 1, Spring 2016]
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This year the UK’s Renishaw plc will further expand its global network of Solutions Centres for metal Additive Manufacturing. The centres are designed specifically to provide a secure environment for end-users to trial the company’s metal powder bed fusion technology and establish the viability of a project before committing to major capital investments. Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine’s Nick Williams reports on a recent visit to Renishaw’s flagship Solutions Centre in Stone, Staffordshire [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 1, Spring 2016]
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As Additive Manufacturing moves out of the prototyping space and into production facilities with multiple machines, the importance of handling and processing powders, particularly titanium, becomes ever more relevant. In this article Dr Andrew Heidloff and Dr Joel Rieken, from Praxair Surface Technologies, Inc., review best practice when handling and storing titanium powders for AM. Titanium powder can be safely produced, processed, stored and shipped using appropriate precautions, however under certain conditions it can become quite hazardous. These hazards can be mitigated by following the suggested precautions reviewed below [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 1, Spring 2016]
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Despite the outstanding promise of metal Additive Manufacturing technologies, inconsistent quality, process reliability and speed are currently holding back industry growth and impacting on the cost-effectiveness of new applications. In the following article Sigma Labs’ Dr Vivek R Dave and Mark J Cola review the technical challenges that are faced in enabling metal AM to reach its full potential and the systems that are currently available to address a number of critical issues [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 1, Spring 2016]
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VTT, based in Espoo, Finland, is one of Europe’s largest research and technology centres with a long track record in metal powder processing technologies. In the following case study VTT’s Erin Komi reviews the development of an additively manufactured valve block for demanding industrial applications. The project, in conjunction with industrial partner Nurmi Cylinders, looked at the optimisation of the valve block in terms of size reduction, weight saving and performance gains [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 1, Spring 2016]
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The much anticipated inaugural formnext exhibition took place in Frankfurt from November 17-20, 2015. Squarely aimed at an industrial audience, the event succeeded in attracting almost all the major metal Additive Manufacturing technology suppliers. Whilst taglined as the international exhibition on additive technologies and tool making, there was a real sense that it was the Additive Manufacturing community that most fully embraced this new exhibition concept. As Metal AM magazine’s Nick Williams reports, AM technology suppliers took the opportunity to make a number of new product launches and announcements [First published in Metal AM Vol. 1 No. 4, Winter 2015]
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