TAV Vacuum Furnaces hosts workshop on vacuum heat treatment for Additive Manufacturing
March 19, 2018
TAV Vacuum Furnaces hosted the workshop in Caravaggio, Italy (Courtesy TAV Vacuum Furnaces)
Prof Gianni Nicoletto (University of Parma), Prof Alberto Molinari (University of Trento) and Prof Daniele Ugues (Politecnico di Torino) delivered a range of metal Additive Manufacturing-focused talks at a workshop organised by TAV Vacuum Furnaces in Caravaggio, Italy on March 14, 2018.
The workshop, ‘Additive Manufacturing: the Advantages of Vacuum Heat Treatment’, was designed to give attendees access to the company and the speakers’ expertise on the most challenging aspects of the technology, including the performance improvements which can be achieved in metal AM components through effective heat treatment.
Prof Nicoletto began the workshop with his ‘Introduction to the Additive Manufacturing of metal components’, giving attendees an overview of current trends in and perspectives on metal AM, including a look at its industrial potential, advantages and current limitations in the serial production of metal parts as compared to conventional manufacturing processes.
This was followed by an investigation of ‘The metal alloys structural metastability obtained by SLM and their heat treatment’, delivered by Prof Molinari, offering attendees insight into the structural evolution and development of titanium and cobalt alloys, stainless steels and maraging steels during heat treatment.
In his study, ‘Vacuum heat treatment of Ni-based alloys components fabricated via Additive Manufacturing’, Prof Ugues discussed the influence of the vacuum heat treatment recipe on the microstructural features, mechanical properties and oxidation resistance of Ni-based alloys in AM components.
Finally, Prof Nicoletto closed with an in-depth look at the ‘Fatigue and fracture behaviour of AM metals after vacuum heat treatment’, focusing on the qualification of metal AM parts for structural applications and the process knowledge this requires, including on the links between fabrication process, component microstructure and actual mechanical performance.
Following the talks, the workshop attendees visited TAV Vacuum Furnaces’ plant, where they had the opportunity to view a wide range of the vacuum furnaces in operation. TAV Vacuum Furnaces provides a range of vacuum heat treatment solutions, including customised solutions for the Additive Manufacturing industry.
