In the men’s track cycling team pursuit qualifying at the 2020 Olympics, broadcast live to a global audience, a handlebar part produced by metal Additive Manufacturing failed with catastrophic consequences for the rider, Australia’s Alex Porter. Six months later, a forensic analysis of the incident was published as a 170-page report. The good news is that the company that made the AM part, along with the technology itself, were cleared of blame. So: what went wrong, and what lessons can be learned? Robin Weston digs into the details. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 8 No. 2, Summer 2022]
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Is it possible to actively monitor the huge volumes of data from a Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) machine to identify, through machine learning (ML), build errors as they happen? To answer this question, Renishaw and Altair played a unique game of hide and seek. In this innovative experiment, an error was deliberately hidden in a build for an artificial intelligence (AI)-based solution to find. The hope? True ‘on the fly’ quality assurance for Additive Manufacturing processes for accelerated product development, and dramatically reduced post-production quality checks. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 8 No. 1, Spring 2022]
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Every so often, something comes along that gets the whole Additive Manufacturing industry talking. Over the past two years, few companies have generated as much intrigue as Seurat Technologies, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory spin-out named for the French pointillist, bringing with it a technology roadmap that promises to evolve metal AM to the crucial point of out-competing conventional manufacturing methods. In this Metal AM exclusive, James DeMuth, Seurat CEO, offers the deepest look yet into the technology behind his company’s promise. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 1, Spring 2022]
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Bringing Additive Manufacturing in house is a big step for any company, but when you are at the small end of the ‘SME’ spectrum, it can be an especially bold move. Robin Weston recently visited Atherton Bikes, based in rural west Wales, to see how this specialist bike producer is enjoying ramping up in-house production of its titanium and carbon fibre performance mountain bikes on a new, four-laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) machine from Renishaw. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 8 No. 1, Spring 2022]
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The metal Additive Manufacturing landscape is filled with ambitious, well-funded startups, all promising a wealth of materials innovation and ambitious value propositions. In contrast to these newcomers, Höganäs AB has been a powerful force in the metal powder market for near eighty years, producing half a million tonnes of metal powder annually. Is there a role for such a titan of Powder Metallurgy in the brave new world of AM? Emily-Jo Hopson-VandenBos spoke to Kennet Almkvist, president, Höganäs Customization Technologies, about what the company brings to the table. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 8 No. 1, Spring 2022]
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A technical session in the programme of the virtual Euro PM2021 conference, organised by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) and held October 18-22, 2021, focused on issues related to the processing of nickel-base alloys and refractory metals by Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing. Dr David Whittaker reviews four papers that address microstructure control, lattice optimisation and chemical post-processing parameters for IN718, and the AM of molybdenum. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 8 No. 1, Spring 2022]
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While Additive Manufacturing uses some powder characterisation methods similar to those used in conventional metal powder technologies, it is necessary to define additional properties critical for repeatable, reliable AM. ASTM International’s Dr Alexander Liu, Head of Additive Manufacturing Programs – Asia Region, Singapore, and Dr Rafi Khalid, Sr Lead, Additive Manufacturing Programs Development, Singapore, outline the key metal powder characteristics for AM and their significance, as well as discuss the industrial test methods and standards AM part makers rely on to maintain consistent quality. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 8 No. 1, Spring 2022]
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A collaborative study between Constellium SE, a global leader in aluminium materials headquartered in Paris, France, and a leading German AM research institute, has developed a new alloy which paves the way for cost-effective and high-performance AM components in series production. In this article, Constellium’s Dr Bechir Chehab and Syam Unnikrishnan present the company’s Aheadd® CP1 alloy, revealing cutting-edge productivity, very good mechanical properties, and the possibility to reduce Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) processing costs by up to 65%. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 1, Spring 2022]
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Designs not driven by requirements increase the risk of an incomplete solution. This relatively simple statement gets to the heart of how designers need to be approaching AM, particularly when balancing the ‘design freedoms’ offered by the technology with the reality of viable and profitable production. Through an exploration of the ubiquitous AM bottle opener, John Barnes, Jennifer Coyne and Chelsea Cummings, The Barnes Global Advisors, and Jon Meyer, APWorks, explore how, by focusing on requirements, a data-driven approach ensures fully functional designs that deliver on multiple requirements for the lowest cost. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 1, Spring 2022]
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The history book of engineering is filled with concepts that failed to achieve success because they were ahead of their time. This was almost the case for the aerospike rocket engine, recognised in the 1950s as a strong concept and tested by NASA in the 1980s and 1990s, but found to demand too much of the manufacturing and materials technology available at the time. Metal AM magazine spoke with Pangea Aerospace and Aenium Engineering about reinventing the aerospike for the 21st century, and how Additive Manufacturing allowed them to ‘make the unmakeable’ – pushing their expertise in AM, materials science and Design for AM to its limits in the process. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 1, Spring 2022]
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A technical session at the Euro PM2021 Virtual Congress, organised by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) and held October 18–22, 2021, was devoted to the consideration of process developments and numerical simulation approaches for Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) Additive Manufacturing technologies. In this report, Dr David Whittaker reviews four of the papers presented on this topic, looking at process parameter optimisation, increasing quality for Ti6Al4V medical parts, techniques to improve the AM of hot-work tool steels, and powder spreading improvements for stainless steel. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 4, Winter 2021]
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As metal Additive Manufacturing progresses toward more widespread industry penetration, the need for globally recognised and agreed upon standards increases. The day before Formnext 2021, key standards organisations and a cross-section of the Additive Manufacturing community attended the annual Standards Forum at Formnext. The forum’s programme illustrated the industry’s awareness of the need for standardisation and highlighted some of the challenges faced. Noah Mostow reports on the discussion on behalf of Metal AM magazine. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 4, Winter 2021]
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They each have similar two-letter acronyms, and, for both technologies, it can be hard to separate hype from reality. But Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Additive Manufacturing also overlap in interesting and beneficial ways. In this article, Stephen Warde of Intellegens considers how AI methods such as Machine Learning (ML) could help AM to deliver against expectations – and at the very least, to meet more realistic and commercially essential objectives, such as consistently delivering lighter, stronger components and supporting on-demand manufacturing. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 4, Winter 2021]
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The Czinger 21C hypercar is a ‘tour de force’ of metal Additive Manufacturing. With over 350 AM components used in the vehicle’s structure, suspension, brake systems, drivetrain and beyond, this is the realisation of the bold vision of Kevin Czinger, CEO of Divergent 3D. Behind the headlines about the car’s record-breaking performance, however, is a far more important story: the development of the Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS), a complete software/hardware solution designed to replace traditional vehicle manufacturing. Jeff Kerns reports for Metal AM magazine. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 4, Winter 2021]
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After a one-year break, seventy industry and R&D participants from twelve countries found their way to the 2nd Workshop on Sinter Based Additive Manufacturing, Bremen, Germany, held from September 15–16, 2021. Industry suppliers, part producers, end users and researchers, as well as experts from the event organiser, Fraunhofer IFAM, considered the status of existing and new technologies in the field. Whilst metal Binder Jetting (BJT) received most attention, Material Extrusion (MEX) technologies were also covered in depth. Prof Dr-Ing. Frank Petzoldt and Dr Sebastian Hein report. [[First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 4, Winter 2021]
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We all love to talk about how Additive Manufacturing can transform product design, improve an application’s performance, reduce part count and material waste, enable faster design cycles and far more besides. But what is less often discussed is the challenge of scaling up production once an application has been developed. It is this aspect of AM that has been the focus of activity at Burloak Technologies. In this article, the company’s Jason Ball, VP & General Manager, and Keyvan Hosseinkhani, Technical Director, consider the challenges of scaling AM, and how they can be overcome. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 4, Winter 2021]
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Spare parts keep the world turning, and their complex supply chain is an industry in itself, specifically designed to get trains moving, ships sailing, and industry producing. But this is an expensive business, and one driven by calculated risk. Do you reduce your profits by stocking every expensive, highly engineered part that you might need, even though the chances are that most will never be used? Here, Joseph Kowen considers if digital part inventories, in conjunction with metal Additive Manufacturing, can transform how the spare parts industry operates. What are the opportunities, and how are early adopters already taking advantage of them? [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 4, Winter 2021]
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The control of powder feedstock characteristics is essential in metal Additive Manufacturing in order to guarantee the quality of built parts and reduce production costs. However, powder behaviour is influenced by a large number of particle properties, along with environmental conditions which can modify these properties. In the following article, Granutools’ Dr Aurélien Neveu reviews some of the current standards applicable to powder feedstock characterisation, and highlights how to make such procedures more robust, repeatable and meaningful for end-users with regards to real AM powders and process conditions. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 3, Autumn 2021]
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The ability to ‘design out’ distortion during sintering is seen as key to enabling the faster commercialisation of metal Binder Jetting (BJT). The Simufact Additive software platform, now on the third release of its BJT sintering module, is able to accurately simulate the sintering process, predicting shrinkage, slumping and friction-related distortion, either with or without ‘live’ and ‘ceramic’ setters, resulting in a downloadable ‘compensated’ component geometry to be fed directly to the AM machine. In this article, Jeff Robertson explores through case studies how The ExOne Company has been using the software in its AM adoption and R&D centres to optimise customer parts for sintering. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 3, Autumn 2021]
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Support structures have been there for us since the beginning of AM, anchoring us to a firm foundation and taking the heat when things get intense. But they also bring with them baggage that is now holding us back, blocking channels and taking up valuable time and materials. Is it time to break free? In this article, Jennifer Coyne and John Barnes, of The Barnes Global Advisors, explore our journey so far with support structures, their advantages and disadvantages, and consider the opportunities and impact of the shift towards ‘support free’ strategies. Through three case studies, cost and productivity of conventional and ‘support free’ production are compared. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 3, Autumn 2021]
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