Freemelt and Texas A&M to boost electron beam metal Additive Manufacturing in USA
Freemelt AB, based in Mölndal, Sweden, has entered into an agreement with the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), Bryan, Texas, USA, in an effort to accelerate the industrialisation of electron beam metal Additive Manufacturing in the USA.
TEES began using the Freemelt ONE machine for tungsten and titanium material development in October 2023. Both parties have agreed to enhance their collaboration, with a goal to further the development of high-temperature materials using Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-EB) Additive Manufacturing.
In this collaboration, Freemelt will contribute its expertise and solutions in PBF-EB, along with extensive knowledge in the manufacturing of high-temperature materials, including applications for tungsten and titanium alloys.
Freemelt’s CEO, Daniel Gidlund commented, “We are extremely proud and excited of this new collaboration with TEES. The US is where the industrialisation of 3D printing technology is developing fast and strongly supported and funded by government and industry. For example, America Makes is one of the programmes under the industrialisation of 3D printing.”
“It is fantastic that Freemelt is a part of this journey, and we are confident that our unique solutions and expertise in E-PBF and high-temperature materials will generate great value,” Gidlund continued. “In 2022, Freemelt was very successful in North America and sold six Freemelt ONE machines to new prestige universities and institutes. Thanks to this collaboration, we expect an increased demand for our research machine Freemelt ONE and our industrial machine, eMELT. We are excited and eager to kick off the project as we have high expectations of the outcome.”
TEES is a state research agency within the Texas A&M University. It addresses challenges through applied engineering research and development, collaborating with industry, government, academia, and Texas A&M University.
Dr Mohsen Taheri Andani, an assistant professor in the J Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, will supervise the collaboration on behalf of TEES.
Dr Andani stated, “I look forward to how this collaboration will complement our research in materials characterisation and processing high-temperature metals, including tungsten and titanium alloys.”
