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.
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AddUp, headquartered in Cébazat, France, has announced the FormUp® 350 Evolution Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing machine, suitable for producing parts up to 1 m tall
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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.
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Industrial start-up Handddle, Talence, France, will present Line, an Industrial IoT platform, at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2023, scheduled to take place January 5-8. The development and commercial
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Alloy development has evolved dramatically throughout history, from what was a game of ‘trial and error’ to a systematic approach driven by Design of Experiments and specialist software. Now, the adoption of Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) is once again changing the way new materials are developed and deployed in today’s advanced manufacturing technologies. QuesTek’s Keith Fritz, Director of Solutions Architecture, details how the company’s ICMD® platform is enabling faster, cheaper and more successful development of new alloys for metal Additive Manufacturing, as well as the build parameters to process them.
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The use of metal AM is ramping up, and so, as a result, is the demand for metal powders. However, the variety of materials available remains relatively small. This is due, among other things, to the exacting requirements for the powders used, and the method of production. In addition, the production of smaller quantities of powder can be uneconomical. In a project funded by the AiF, the IWM at Germany’s RWTH Aachen University and Fraunhofer IFAM have developed a sustainable ‘powder kit’ for the individual and robust production of metal powder mixtures with subsequent alloying during PBF-LB processing. The partners share their progress.
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Additive Manufacturing processes offer a high degree of design freedom. The Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion of metals (PBF-LB/M), in particular, has established itself for series applications of complex-shaped parts in numerous industries. In this article, Prof Dr-Ing Christian Seidel considers the next major step in PBF-LB, which could offer designers unknown potential: the production of sensor-integrated AM parts. Methods and solutions for the manufacturing of sensor-integrated AM parts are presented and industry-relevant case studies showcased, illustrating the potential offered by sensor-integrated ‘smart parts.’
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Prima Industrie, Collegno, Italy – a global group in the sector of high-technology laser systems, sheet metal working systems and electronic components for industrial applications, and the parent company of
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Aerospace company Boom Supersonic, Denver, Colorado, USA, has announced the concept for a new propulsion system, Symphony, which was designed and optimised for its Overture supersonic airliner and
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Meltio, Linares, Spain, has announced its new Meltio Engine Software Partners ecosystem, which aims to ensure a set of reliable software solutions to allow customers to identify the best software tool for their
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Trumpf, Ditzingen, Germany, has announced a number of developments to its metal Additive Manufacturing machines intended to create further opportunities in the medical, aerospace and automated
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While most people associate the advantages of AM with small- to medium-sized, complex parts, wire-based Directed Energy Deposition (DED) makes it possible to achieve geometric complexity on a huge scale. Although the adoption rate for wire-based DED does not come close to that of the more widely known metal AM processes, this unique technology has advanced dramatically over recent years, and promises major advantages in a volatile global manufacturing landscape. Dr Filomeno Martina, CEO and co-founder of WAAM3D, explains more.
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