India’s largest Additive Manufacturing machine at IIT Hyderabad
Recent advancements in large-area Additive Manufacturing have been reported following a collaboration between India’s DRDO Industry Academia Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE) at IIT Hyderabad and a number of industry partners. Together, the team has developed what is reported to be one of the largest metal AM machines in the country, and demonstrated its ability to manufacture large-scale components.
The new machine has a build volume of 100 x 100 x 300 cm and utilises metal powder-based Laser Beam Directed Energy Deposition (DED-LB) technology. It features dual heads for enhanced thermal efficiency, which is said to help balance thermal distribution and speed up the manufacturing process.
A significant milestone was reached when a 1 m high component was successfully fabricated using the new machine, proving the technology’s ability to produce large components. This is expected to open new avenues for innovation and efficiency in various sectors.
“This will open up new possibilities for large-scale production of metal parts, paving the way for growth and innovation in the country’s Additive Manufacturing sector,” stated Dr Samir V Kamat, Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D and Chairman of DRDO.
