Meltio unveils the Meltio Engine Blue integration kit at Formnext
November 20, 2024
Meltio, headquartered in Linares, Spain, introduced its Meltio Engine Blue integration kit at this year’s Formnext. The setup is intended to enhance and streamline the manufacture of metal parts with industrial robotic arms and vertical machining centres, bringing Meltio’s wire-laser Directed Energy Deposition (DED) Additive Manufacturing technology to factories and workshops.
“The new Meltio Engine Blue represents a crucial breakthrough in Meltio’s Directed Energy Deposition technology, designed specifically to respond to the current demands of the manufacturing industry around the world,” stated Alejandro Nieto, Meltio Product Manager. “For our industrial customers, the Meltio Engine Blue represents a significant improvement in reliability and deposition rate, enabling increased production speed and quality.
“With a fibre-optic-free system and a 1.4 kW blue laser head, we have simplified integration into robotic arms and vertical machining centres, reducing maintenance times and eliminating common problems such as the need for continuous laser alignment. This approach will allow our customers to optimise their processes, reducing downtime and improving compatibility with a wide range of materials.”
The Meltio Engine Blue directs the build head, where the blue lasers melt the metal. It can process a range of metals, including stainless steel, titanium, copper, aluminium and nickel, making it possible to additively manufacture metal parts with high reliability and optimised density.
By eliminating the need for constant laser alignment and featuring an upgraded wire feeding system, the Meltio Engine Blue is intended to allow for more continuous, uninterrupted operation. The more compact and lightweight design also includes an upgraded safety features reaching highest Performance Level (depends on integration), enabling a high level of protection in the industrial environment.
In addition, the use of blue lasers reduces energy consumption by a reported 30% and offers a deposition rate up to 3.5x higher than the previous version.
“The development of the new Meltio Engine Blue has been a painstaking process of more than two years, in which our engineering team has worked collaboratively with our partners and integrators to identify and overcome the challenges faced with the V3,” stated Alejandro Nieto. “Among the most important industry demands were the need to reduce maintenance time, increase reliability, and improve deposition rate. The elimination of components such as fibre optics and collimators has simplified the system, while the blue laser head and dual power supply system allow continuous and flexible operation, adapting to different materials and applications.”
Attendees can see Meltio’s additively manufactured parts on its Formnext 2024 stand Booth C119, Hall 12.0.
www.meltio3d.com
