Metal Additive Manufacturing, Vol. 2 No. 1 Spring 2016
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In addition to over 35 pages of the latest industry news, this issue of Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine includes the following exclusive features:
Planning, preparing and producing: Walking the tightrope between additive and subtractive manufacturing
In the following article Delcam’s Kelvin Hamilton explores the current possibilities for design, topology optimisation, simulation, process planning and process preparation in metal Additive Manufacturing (AM). Exploring the three Ps, Plan, Prepare and Produce, all the processes involved in transforming three airbrake bracket designs into final products are revealed. As well as explaining how important it is to appreciate and plan for the significant amount of subtractive manufacturing in metal AM, a number of the lessons learnt in this project are discussed as the author reflects on the experience of planning, preparing and producing parts.
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Renishaw: Global Solutions Centres offer end-users an alternative route to develop new metal AM applications
This year the UK’s Renishaw plc will further expand its global network of Solutions Centres for metal Additive Manufacturing. The centres are designed specifically to provide a secure environment for end-users to trial the company’s metal powder bed fusion technology and establish the viability of a project before committing to major capital investments. Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine’s Nick Williams reports on a recent visit to Renishaw’s flagship Solutions Centre in Stone, Staffordshire.
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Titanium powder pyrophoricity, passivation and handling for safe production and processing
As Additive Manufacturing moves out of the prototyping space and into production facilities with multiple machines, the importance of handling and processing powders, particularly titanium, becomes ever more relevant. In this article Dr Andrew Heidloff and Dr Joel Rieken, from Praxair Surface Technologies, Inc., review best practice when handling and storing titanium powders for AM. Titanium powder can be safely produced, processed, stored and shipped using appropriate precautions, however under certain conditions it can become quite hazardous. These hazards can be mitigated by following the suggested precautions reviewed below.
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Process and quality control for AM: Sigma Labs PrintRite3D® methodology for overall quality assurance
Despite the outstanding promise of metal Additive Manufacturing technologies, inconsistent quality, process reliability and speed are currently holding back industry growth and impacting on the cost-effectiveness of new applications. In the following article Sigma Labs’ Dr Vivek R Dave and Mark J Cola review the technical challenges that are faced in enabling metal AM to reach its full potential and the systems that are currently available to address a number of critical issues.
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Metal AM in Finland: VTT optimises industrial valve block for Additive Manufacturing
VTT, based in Espoo, Finland, is one of Europe’s largest research and technology centres with a long track record in metal powder processing technologies. In the following case study VTT’s Erin Komi reviews the development of an additively manufactured valve block for demanding industrial applications. The project, in conjunction with industrial partner Nurmi Cylinders, looked at the optimisation of the valve block in terms of size reduction, weight saving and performance gains.
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