There is no shortage of Additive Manufacturing machines humming away in research laboratories, producing test pieces and exhibits for trade shows, but the hard truth is that relatively few are making components for serial production. In part, this is because the world is still waiting for materials which enable the technology to fulfil its true potential. In this article, Rebecca Gingell and colleagues from OxMet Technologies, Oxford, UK, explain how the company is approaching the design of novel alloys for AM, and reflect on its progress so far. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 4, Winter 2019]
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On June 12th, HP Inc. formally opened its new 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing Center of Excellence at its campus in Barcelona, Spain. Metal AM magazine’s Emily-Jo Hopson attended the event and here reports on the 14,000 m2 facility’s opening and the company’s rapid rise in the world of Additive Manufacturing. She reveals how, whilst the company is not traditionally associated with equipment for industrial manufacturing, many of its core technologies directly lend themselves to a new generation of metal binder jetting systems. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 2, Summer 2019]
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The broader industrial-scale use of powder bed-based metal Additive Manufacturing is resulting not only in improvements in process performance and material properties, but also in a growing scrutiny of the process by regulators, risk managers and legal departments. One key area of their focus is powder removal, the step in the production chain where there is perhaps the greatest risk to worker and plant safety as a result of dust exposure. Joseph Kowen reviews the current status of this topic and reports on how leading producers are addressing what is often described as the Achilles heel of metal AM [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 2, Summer 2019]
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Sweden’s VBN Components AB has successfully combined the design freedoms offered by Additive Manufacturing with innovative process and material developments to create a new generation of high-strength, carbide-rich tool materials. These unique, patented alloys are transforming tool and wear component performance across a range of applications, from gear cutting hobs to food processing and the mining sector. Isabelle Bodén reports on the company’s development and the unique properties of its products. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 2, Summer 2019]
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Powder specifications vary significantly across the various metal Additive Manufacturing technologies. As Andrew Klein, Director of R&D at The ExOne Company, and Jamie Clayton, Operations Director at Freeman Technology explain, powders for binder jetting in particular have very specific process-related requirements. In the following article, the two offer their insight into the rapid assessment and qualification process for a new 316L stainless steel powder. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 2, Summer 2019]
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The limited number of alloys currently commercially available for metal Additive Manufacturing is regarded as a key factor hindering the growth of the industry. In this article, Rosswag GmbH’s Daniel Beckers reports on a high-speed qualification process that the company has developed for new alloys, and that spans the complete AM process chain – from alloy atomisation to L-PBF process parameters, heat-treatment and mechanical testing [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 2, Summer 2019]
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Australian expertise is today becoming much more commonplace on the international AM scene. From technology and materials suppliers to application developers, companies are growing on the back of world-class research and education facilities, and a business environment where innovation and international trade are rewarded. Combine this with an abundance of AM-relevant natural resources and, as Alex Kingsbury explains, an environment has been created in which AM is thriving. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 1, Spring 2019]
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Additive Manufacturing is not a cheap production process. The software, machine time, materials and expertise required to make the most of the technology all come at a significant cost. The resulting financial pressures may give rise to the temptation to select a material on its price and view advanced topology optimisation as a luxury. As Jon Meyer, APWORKS, and John Barnes, The Barnes Group Advisors, demonstrate, the unique capabilities of AM mean that basing material choice on cost without considering the impact of material performance on the mass of the part is a false economy, limiting the competitiveness of AM and the potential of an application [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 1, Spring 2019]
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In the following article, UL LLC’s Balakrishnan V Nair discusses key safety issues in metal Additive Manufacturing, identifying some of the principal sources of risk associated with production operations and sharing safety concerns as encountered in UL’s work with metal AM clients globally. In addition, Nair highlights some of the benefits that many AM facilities have enjoyed as a result of the successful implementation of sound safety practices [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 1, Spring 2019]
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With the launch of a number of new systems targeting the series production of components, Binder Jetting is generating a high level of interest in the world of metal Additive Manufacturing and beyond. In the following report, Sebastian Boris Hein, Claus Aumund-Kopp and Bastian Barthel of Fraunhofer IFAM review the main process considerations and production steps in the Binder Jetting of metals as related to series production, highlighting both the advantages of the technology and the challenges that it poses [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 4, Winter 2018]
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From November 13-16, 2018, the Additive Manufacturing world congregated in Frankfurt, Germany, to attend the year’s final and arguably most significant international exhibition on the technology. Occupying more than 37,000 m2 of floor space, Formnext 2018 attracted nearly 27,000 visitors – an increase of more than 25% on the previous year – and over 600 global exhibitors. In this report, Metal AM’s Emily-Jo Hopson covers some of the news and developments out of Formnext, and looks at how they reflect an industry turning its focus toward productivity and efficiency for true industrialisation [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 4, Winter 2018]
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Organised by the U.S. Commercial Service in Dusseldorf, Germany, the Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing Standards Forum took place on November 14, 2018, in Frankfurt, Germany, at the Formnext trade fair. As Dr Georg Schlieper reports, the event brought together leading experts from industry, research institutions, standards developing organisations, professional societies and government to address key themes focused on standards development in AM technologies. This included progress on international standards development for AM and how the use of these standards can help the industry achieve its potential [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 4, Winter 2018]
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