Professional Documents
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Metal AM Summer 2020
Metal AM Summer 2020
2 SUMMER 2020 THE MAGAZINE FOR THE METAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
METAL
AM
in this issue
JEWELLERY: PRECIOUS METAL AM
ELECTRON BEAM PBF SPECIAL FOCUS
BUGATTI & APWORKS CASE STUDY
Published by Inovar Communications Ltd www.metal-am.com
Make the future with proven
powders created by Praxair
TruForm metal powders support every part you make
™
ADDITIVE
Battlefield Enterprise Park
Shrewsbury SY1 3AF
United Kingdom
Deputy Editor
Emily-Jo Hopson-VandenBos
emily-jo@inovar-communications.com
Waving the flag for AM in a
Assistant Editor
Kim Hayes
kim@inovar-communications.com
year of digital transformation
Production Manager
Hugo Ribeiro
I have no words of wisdom when it comes to the global
hugo@inovar-communications.com economic outlook and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the
metal AM industry. The only thing that is certain is uncertainty.
Advertising On some mornings it looks like there is light at the end of the
Jon Craxford, Advertising Sales Director
Tel: +44 (0)207 1939 749 tunnel, whilst other mornings bring a fresh dose of caution.
Fax: +44 (0)1743 469909
jon@inovar-communications.com What the crisis has done – in the short term at least – is
Subscriptions transform the way that the world of business communicates,
Metal Additive Manufacturing is published on a networks and shares knowledge. Zoom meetings, digital
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Accuracy of contents
heart of what we do at Metal AM magazine from our very first
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the issue back in 2015. Embracing the opportunities offered by the
accuracy of the information in this publication, digital world allows us to reach the widest possible audience
the publisher accepts no responsibility for and deliver on our core mission: to wave the flag for the
errors or omissions or for any consequences
arising there from. Inovar Communications Ltd technologies that we represent.
cannot be held responsible for views or claims
expressed by contributors or advertisers, which Through this digital platform, combined with a magazine
are not necessarily those of the publisher. format ideally suited to delivering the type of high-quality,
Advertisements long-form journalism that we aspire to, we believe that the
Although all advertising material is expected seeds can be sown for the future exploration of AM.
to conform to ethical standards, inclusion in
this publication does not constitute a guarantee
In this new era of uncertainty, it is more critical than ever that
or endorsement of the quality or value of
such product or of the claims made by its we collectively expand and diversify our reach to deliver on
manufacturer. the potential of metal Additive Manufacturing. With this issue
Reproduction, storage and usage set to reach new audiences in the jewellery and automotive
Single photocopies of articles may be made sectors in particular, we hope that we can play our role in
for personal use in accordance with national inspiring designers, engineers and end users to take a further
copyright laws. All rights reserved. Except as
step towards embracing AM in all its diverse forms.
outlined above, no part of this publication may
be reproduced, modified or extracted in any form
or by any means without prior permission of the Nick Williams
publisher and copyright owner. Managing Director
Printed by
Cambrian Printers, Aberystwyth, UK
ISSN 2057-3014 (print edition)
ISSN 2055-7183 (digital edition)
Vol. 6 No. 2 Summer 2020 Cover image
A bracelet from the ‘Embrace’ collection
This magazine is also available for free by Marie Boltenstern consisting of rows
download from www.metal-am.com of 4 mm gemstones woven into additively
manufactured protective geometric
© 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd
spheres (Photo www.loupiosity.com)
additive
We are Oerlikon AM
We are integrating and scaling the entire Additive Manufacturing value chain
to handle your project from A to Z. We partner with pioneers like you to
revolutionize materials and manufacturing.
Come build with us. It’s time to rethink what’s possible in AM.
www.oerlikon.com/am
4 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
109 122 135 140 167
Contents
107 Innovation and differentiation: 133 Freemelt AB:
Precious metal Additive Manufacturing in the Open source technology
jewellery sector to explore the potential of
Rich in creativity and rooted in a long artisanal
Electron Beam Powder Bed
manufacturing heritage, one would imagine that there Fusion
can be few sectors as perfectly suited to embrace A new wave of AM machine
the potential of metal Additive Manufacturing than manufacturers focused on
the jewellery industry. In reality, however, the sector Electron Beam Powder Bed
continues to hold back on the full-scale adoption of AM, Fusion (PBF-EB) is looking to
despite numerous successes. In this article, Michela capitalise on what is perceived
Ferraro-Cuda considers progress to date in the adoption as a process with significant
of precious metal AM in the jewellery industry, and untapped market potential.
showcases a number of leading designers who have One of the most prominent of
leveraged the technology’s potential for innovation and these newcomers is Freemelt
differentiation. >>> AB, a developer of open source
machines designed to help
broaden the PBF-EB material
119 Unrealised potential: The story and status of portfolio and application areas.
Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion As Metal AM magazine’s Emily-Jo
Hopson-VandenBos reports,
In January, Boeing’s new 777X aircraft made its maiden
co-founders Ulric Ljungblad and
flight, powered by two GE9X engines from GE Aviation.
Ulf Ackelid have no doubt as to the
Whilst this was a major moment for both companies, it
opportunities ahead. >>>
was also a huge milestone for Electron Beam Powder
Bed Fusion (PBF-EB), and the culmination of decades of
process and material development work at the driving
force behind the technology, Arcam AB. Whilst the many
turbine blades used in the GE9X engine are the highlight
of the first chapter in the story of PBF-EB, there is also
a lingering sense of unrealised potential. Here, Joseph
Kowen considers the story to date and highlights a new
generation of firms working to increase the technology’s
adoption. >>>
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 5
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
AM METAL POWDER
MANUFACTURER
CHARACTERISTICS APPLICATIONS
Plasma Quality Powder Additive Manufacturing
Traceability Metal Injection Molding
Capacity Hot and Cold Isostatic Pressing
AS9100 and ISO 9001 Thermal and Cold Spray
9 Industry news
172 Events guide
Regular features... 174 Advertisers’ index
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 7
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
8 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Industry news
BMW Group
opens its new €15
million Additive
Manufacturing
campus
The BMW Group has officially opened
its new Additive Manufacturing
Campus in Munich, Germany. The
new centre, which began development BMW’s Additive Manufacturing campus employs up to eighty associates and
in April 2018, is said to bring together operates about fifty industrial AM machines (Courtesy The BMW Group)
the production of metal and plastic
prototype and series parts under one
roof, as well as research into new AM implement new automation concepts “In addition, we develop and
technologies, and associate training in the process chain,” added Daniel design components that are faster to
for the global rollout of toolless Schäfer, Senior Vice President for produce than by conventional means,
production. Production Integration and Pilot offer flexibility in terms of their form,
The campus is the result of an Plant at the BMW Group. “This will and are also more functional,” Ertel
investment of €15 million and is allow us to streamline component continued. “We are working hard to
expected to allow the BMW Group manufacturing for series production mature Additive Manufacturing fully
to develop its position as technology and speed up development.” and benefit from it as far as possible
leader in the utilisation of Additive “At the same time, we are throughout the product life-cycle,
Manufacturing in the automotive collaborating with vehicle develop- from the first vehicle concept through
industry. In 2019, BMW produced ment, component production, to production, aftersales and its use
about 300,000 parts by AM. The new purchasing and the supplier in classic vehicles.”
AM Campus currently employs up to network,” he continued, “as well as Access to the latest technologies
eighty associates and operates about various other areas of the company is reportedly gained through long-
fifty industrial AM machines that work to systematically integrate the standing partnerships with leading
with metals and plastics. technology and utilise it effectively.” manufacturers and universities, and
Speaking at the opening ceremony, by scouting for industry newcomers.
Milan Nedeljković, BMW AG Board Cooperating with the AM industry to In 2017, the BMW Group became
Member for Production, stated, drive development involved with Desktop Metal’s
“Additive Manufacturing is already an The advancement of AM at BMW sinter-based metal AM technologies,
integral part of our worldwide produc- has been the result of many years of and continues to collaborate closely
tion system today, and established in-house expertise and cooperations with the company.
in our digitalisation strategy. In the to advance the technology. Jens In the same year, BMW I Ventures
future, new technologies of this Ertel, Director of the Additive – the group’s venture capital divi-
kind will shorten production times Manufacturing Campus, explained, sion – invested in the US startup
even further and allow us to benefit “Over the last thirty years or so, the Xometry, a platform for on-demand
even more fully from the potential of BMW Group has developed compre- manufacturing, including advanced
toolless manufacturing.” hensive skills, which we’ll continue technologies such as AM.
“Our goal is to industrialise 3D to enhance on our new campus, Its latest investment was in the
printing methods more and more which has the latest machines and German start-up ELISE, which allows
for automotive production, and to technologies.” engineers to produce ‘component
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 9
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
10 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Industry News
DNA’ containing all the technical the Additive Manufacturing Campus, Applications in series production
requirements for the part, from load a production line is being set up The BMW Group first began its Addi-
requirements and manufacturing that replicates the entire process tive Manufacturing of prototype parts
restrictions to costs and potential chain, from the preparation of digital in 1991, for concept vehicles. By 2010,
optimisation parameters. ELISE then production through to manufacture both metal and plastic AM processes
uses this data, along with established and reworking of components. were being rolled out across the
development tools, to automatically The IDAM team is now preparing group, initially in smaller series, to
generate optimised components. it for the specific requirements of produce items such as the AM water
series, individual and spare-part pump wheel in DTM race cars.
Additive Manufacturing in research production. According to the group, Further series production applica-
and pre-development at BMW Group production targets confirm the status tions followed from 2012 onward, with
The pre-development unit of the of this collaborative undertaking a range of components for the Rolls-
Additive Manufacturing Campus as a lighthouse project: output is Royce Phantom, BMW i8 Roadster
optimises new technologies and expected to total at least 50,000 (2017) and MINI John Cooper Works
materials for comprehensive use series components a year, with over GP (2020), which contains four AM
across the company. The main focus 10,000 individual and spare parts, all components as standard.
is on automating process chains produced to a very high quality. www.bmwgroup.com
that have previously required large
amounts of manual work, to make AM
more economical and viable for use
on an industrial scale over the longer
term.
For the development of AM
processes for use on an industrial
scale, research projects are especially
important. BMW is involved in
several of these projects, such as the
Industrialisation and Digitisation of
Additive Manufacturing for Automotive
Series Production (IDAM) project,
supported by the German Ministry of
Education and Research.
With IDAM, the BMW Group and
its twelve project partners hope to
pave the way for the integration of AM
into series production environments BMW’s Additive Manufacturing campus employs up to eighty associates and
within the automotive industry. At operates about fifty industrial AM machines (Courtesy The BMW Group)
VDM Metals acquired by stainless steel line and establishes a strategy that
we believe will be successful, in
manufacturing group Acerinox addition to strengthening the group’s
competitiveness and robustness.
Acerinox, S.A. a multi-national are said to complement each Furthermore, the cash generation
stainless steel manufacturing other, and the transaction will and decrease in debt recognised last
group based in Madrid, Spain, has have clear manufacturing, sales year leaves us in an optimal situation
acquired VDM Metals GmbH, Werdohl, and distribution benefits for both for taking on this challenge,” stated
Germany, in transaction valued at companies. The new group company Bernardo Velázquez, CEO of Acerinox.
€532 million. VDM Metals is a global is expected to be a global leader in VDM has seven production plants
supplier of metals which, among its the development and manufacture in Germany and the USA and employs
products, offers a range of metal of special nickel alloys, as well as almost 2,000. In 2018/19, VDM
powders for Additive Manufacturing. high-performance stainless steels, achieved sales of €852 million and
The acquisition has received approval as well as an R&D and innovation EBITDA of €97 million. Its incorpora-
from the European, US and Taiwanese benchmark in the industry. tion into Acerinox is expected to
competition authorities. “In the circumstances we are increase its net sales and billings by
The activities performed and currently living, this acquisition more than 20%.
products manufactured by Acerinox makes more sense than ever, since it www.vdm-metals.com
and VDM in their respective fields diversifies our risk, adds a business www.acerinox.com
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 11
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
for highly spherical metal powders total capacity of the new production
site will gradually be increased to
400 tons per year, and using the
Metalpine GmbH, Graz, Austria, a An opening ceremony for the plant in-house developed process, metal
manufacturer of metal powder and was attended by numerous repre- powders can reportedly be produced
part of the htm Group (hightech sentatives from politics, science and in a unique quality from a very wide
metal investment GmbH), has business, including Dir. Karl-Heinz range of metals and metal alloys
opened a new production site based Dernoscheg from WKO Steiermark; (including copper, steel, nickel-base
at its Graz headquarters, which will Dr Robert Brugger from ICS Styria; alloys, titanium, molybdenum,
primarily produce highly spherical Dr Gerald Sitte from Spaceone; and tungsten, etc).
metal powders for use in Additive Klaus Fronius and Brigitte Strauß Metalpine states that all its mate-
Manufacturing. from Fronius. rials are produced using a flexible,
environmentally friendly inert gas
process under cleanroom conditions,
and are aimed at highly demanding
applications such as Laser Beam
Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB), metal
sintering, powder build-up welding
or surface coatings.
Additionally, the new production
site is believed to have a good
network for industrial and academic
research and development in the
field of Additive Manufacturing, with
research in the areas of production
processes, materials and additives
fields of application being carried
out by the Montanuniversität
Leoben and the Graz University of
Metalpine has opened a new production site which will produce metal powder Technology.
for use in Additive Manufacturing (Courtesy Metalpine GmbH) www.metalpine.at
H.C. Starck Tungsten Powders sold “We can now fully focus on global
growth as a technology and quality
to Masan Resources leader in tungsten powder. Direct
access to primary raw materials
H.C. Starck Tungsten Powders, Goslar, recycling process with which it as a complement to our recycling
Germany, a leading global provider of extracts tungsten in what it states as expertise means even more flexibility
customer-specific tungsten powder, the highest quality from secondary and security for our customers all
and part of H.C. Starck Group GmbH, raw materials. The business has over the world.”
has been acquired by Vietnamese- approximately 540 employees across Craig Bradshaw, CEO of Masan
based Masan Resources. A subsidiary three production sites in Germany, Resources commented, “The compe-
of Masan Group, Masan Resources is a Canada and China, as well as sales tencies of both companies in the field
supplier of critical minerals including offices in the USA and Japan. of raw materials on the one hand and
tungsten, fluorspar and bismuth. Masan Resources is reported the highly specialised processing on
According to the H.C. Starck Group, to have one of the world’s largest the other complement each other
all required approvals by government tungsten deposits and associated perfectly. For us, this transaction is
authorities have been received, refining facilities outside of China. the next strategic step in executing
allowing completion of the transac- “The entry of a strategic owner on on our vision to become a leading
tion. time for the hundredth anniversary global vertically integrated high-tech
H.C. Starck Tungsten Powders we are celebrating this year marks industrial materials platform.”
develops and produces high- the beginning of a new era for our www.hcstarck.com
performance powders made from company,” stated Dr Hady Seyeda, https://masangroup.com
the refractory metal tungsten and CEO of H.C. Starck Tungsten
its compounds. It has a patented Powders.
12 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
O2 Analyzer
markets such as electronics, where we expect sustained
growth through key developments,” he continued.
C
from Ntron “Examples include the electrification of transport, the
development of telecommunications infrastructure,
M
• SIL2 rated
MY Andrey Laptev, Director of Business Development
CY
and Corporate Venture Projects at Severstal, added,
• 1ppm to 25% O2
“Sintez-CIP has unique competencies that have enabled
CMY
it to occupy 10% of the fast-growing global carbonyl iron
• Easy Calibration
K
market, and continually increase its presence in the most
promising segments of the sector.”
“We are aiming for consistent growth in this high-
margin market, using the broad competencies and market
• Visit www.ntron.com/products/SILO2/ opportunities Severstal has cultivated,” he explained.
• Call Ntron +353 (0)46 907 1333 “Our overarching goal is to create a world-class Powder
Metallurgy centre of excellence within the business.
• Email sales@ntron.com
Sintez-CIP allows us to expand our market influence, and
also creates a springboard for us to enter international
A PST Company www.ntron.com markets.”
www.severstal.com | https://en.sintez-cip.ru
14 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 15
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
AM part maker 3DEO reports 600% with robotics and automation and its
most noteworthy employee increase
revenue growth in 2019 was in the R&D department. With
over twenty-five engineers, 3DEO
3DEO, Inc., a metal Additive as our pace of adoption across all states it is continuously improving
Manufacturing technology company industries is accelerating. More than core processes and technology up
based in Los Angeles, California, a metal 3D printing company, 3DEO and down the production line.
USA, has announced a 600% growth is a solutions provider helping our Sand added, “What’s more, almost
in revenues for 2019 over 2018. customers tackle their most chal- every customer we are working
The company also reported a 394% lenging manufacturing problems.” with is using metal 3D printing in
increase in the number of additively The company started as an production for the first time. We are
manufactured parts shipped in 2019, Additive Manufacturing business with in the trenches with our customers,
with approximately 25% of parts being its patented metal AM technology, and our growth curve is a testament
for aerospace, 35% for medical and Intelligent Layering®, at its core. to the demand for these solutions.
40% for defence applications. However, in order to compete in high- In the end, our mission is to do
The number of employees at 3DEO volume traditional manufacturing, for manufacturing what Amazon’s
was also reported to have increased to the company stated it evolved into a AWS did for the internet by offering
sixty, up 172% compared to the twenty- vertically integrated, next generation low-cost access to flexible, scalable,
two employees in 2018. AM machines factory. This new business model and world-class manufacturing
used at 3DEO for part production allows manufacturers to gain the cost infrastructure.”
were said to have increased by 566%. savings, design freedom, and manu- Matt Petros, 3DEO’s CEO,
3DEO’s AM machines are built with facturing flexibility needed to compete commented, “We’re doing things
proprietary technology, specialised for – without having to incur millions of in manufacturing that previously
serial production and manufactured in dollars for a metal AM machine and couldn’t be done. And we’re doing
the USA. the supporting infrastructure. it by leveraging several enabling
“We are very proud of the growth Amidst a downcycle in manu- technologies that are converging right
that was accomplished over the last facturing jobs in America, 3DEO now in manufacturing – in a way that
year,” stated Matt Sand, President reports that its new solution-focused finally allows metal 3D printing to
of 3DEO. “It is clear that 2020 will be business model is creating new jobs. shift the serial production paradigm.”
another record-setting year for 3DEO High-tech production workers work www.3deo.co
16 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
YOUR AEROSPACE
& DEFENSE
AM PRODUCTION
PARTNER
PLANNING
PRINTING
POST-PROCESSING
PART CONFORMANCE
18 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Industry News
Submitting news..
Submitting news to Metal AM is free of charge. For more information contact Paul Whittaker:
paul@inovar-communications.com
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 19
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
GPCMA – MODIFIED
ATMOSPHERE
CHAMBER FURNACE
DEBINDING, PYROLYSIS & STRESS
RELIEVING 3D PRINTED ADDITIVE
MANUFACTURED PARTS
www.carbolite-gero.com
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 21
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
22 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 23
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
From First Stage Debind Equipment (Catalytic, Solvent, Water) and Second Stage Debind & Sinter Furnaces (All Metal or
Graphite) to support with ancillary utility equipment, Elnik’s experienced team is driven to be the only partner you need for
all your MIM and Metal AM equipment needs.
24 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Industry News
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 25
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
3D
Our New Automated Metal Production (AMP) Line.
EXPERIENCE
Low Satellite Powder,
High Sphericity.
Sphericality>90%
At CNPC POWDER, we have launched
High Density Powder. our new high-quality, low-cost, and
>1.40g/cm 3 high-yield aluminum alloy powder
for additive metal powder bed melt-
Low Oxygen and ing (PBF) process.
Nitrogen Content.
Our technology has effectively solved
Oxygen<200ppm;
Aluminum’s flowability issues and
Nitrogen<200ppm
improved printability.
High Flowability.
Our new aluminum can be effectively
Hall flow rate is 50s/ 50g used in high volume light weight
with 2.5 mm aperture parts.
www.cnpcpowder.com
26 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
©2020 CNPC Powder Group Co., Ltd.
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Industry News
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 27
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
www.imr-metalle.com
28 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Industry News
• VACUUM LEVEL:
FROM 10-6 mbar TO ATMOSPHERE
• PROCESS GAS: Ar, N2 , H2
• METAL OR GRAPHITE CHAMBER
• INTEGRATED QUICK COOL
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 29
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
AMCM launches M
4K industrial metal
AM machine for
metre-high parts
Additive Manufacturing Customized
Machines (AMCM), an EOS Group
company based in Starnberg,
Germany, has launched its AMCM M
4K-1 (single laser) and AMCM M 4K-4
(four laser) industrial Laser Beam
Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) metal
Additive Manufacturing machines.
Built on the proven EOS M 400
platform, the AMCM M 4K is designed
for the production of large compo- AMCM has begun serial production of its AMCM M 4K-1 and AMCM M 4K-4
nents, with a build height of up to 1 m. Additive Manufacturing machines (Courtesy AMCM)
Additional features include increased
robustness of the frame design, a new
filter system (RFS 2.0), and optional Mission critical applications: piece reduces cost and enables the
soft recoating. The AMCM M 4K can Launcher combustion chamber highest-performance regenerative
produce parts from a wide range PBF-LB Additive Manufacturing is cooling design.”
of materials, including aluminium used for some of the most demanding Launcher will be testing the E-2
(AlSi10Mg), nickel alloy (IN718) and applications – including high- at NASA Stennis as part of an Air
copper alloy (CuCr1Zr). performance and mission critical Force Phase II SBIR later this year.
Martin Bullemer, Managing parts. Rocket developer Launcher The AMCM M 4K platform is a global
Director of AMCM, stated, “The AMCM was one of the AMCM M 4K’s earliest offering and is available now, and
M 4K is a wholly new offering that we adopters, using the technology to several machines are currently in
have been perfecting for two years. produce its copper alloy E-2 combus- production at the company’s dedicated
What customers can appreciate is tion chamber, a very large additively new production facility in Starnberg.
that its underpinnings are that of the manufactured liquid rocket engine. In addition to the AMCM M 4K
EOS M 400 processes – which are “The AMCM M 4K solved for platform, the company reports that it is
the benchmark for metal 3D printing. both our desire to 3D print a tall producing further high-performance,
Our team is extremely proud of this combustion chamber in a single customised industrial AM machines
system now producing the biggest, piece, and produce it in a copper based on EOS technology.
highest quality metal powder bed 3D material,” explained Max Haot, https://www.amcm.com
printing applications in the world.” Launcher CEO. “Printing in a single https://www.eos.info/en
30 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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Productivity + Quality
in one package.
Formnext
Visit us atVisit us at Formnext
Hall 12.0 Hall
Booth:
12.0A121
Booth: A121
Full
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Furnace
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for Additive
for Additive
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l Debinding
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sintering
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and
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and
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l Heat
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l Graphite
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furnace
furnace E : xiangwei.zou@hiper.cn/W:
E : xiangwei.zou@hiper.cn/W:
E : xiangwei.zou@hiper.cn/W:
www.hiper.cn
www.hiper.cn
www.hiper.cn
l Tailormade
l Tailormade
l Tailormade
furnace
furnace
acceptable
furnace
acceptable
acceptable NO.521,Haitong
NO.521,Haitong
NO.521,Haitong
Road,Cixi
Road,Cixi
City,Zhejiang,China
Road,Cixi
City,Zhejiang,China
City,Zhejiang,China
32 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 33
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
34 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
EOS M 290
With 21 Materials
for Production
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 35
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
36 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Industry News
VBN Components
accelerates growth
with Swedish
Scaleups
VBN Components, Uppsala, Sweden,
has been adopted into the Swedish
Scaleups programme, which helps
innovative companies in Eastern
Central Sweden to accelerate their
growth. The company manufactures
extremely abrasion- and heat-
resistant metal components and
tools for industrial use.
The company’s finished metal Ulrik Beste, Technical Manager (left) and Isabelle Bodén, Customer Relations
alloys are marketed under the Vibe- at VBN Components (Courtesy VBN Components)
nite® brand. Products are additively
manufactured from Vibenite using
the company’s patented process, said the companies’ operations faster. innovative business concept as well
to offer customers material savings VBN Components stated that the as good conditions for rapid growth.
of up to 87%, improved properties programme will offer it access to We look forward to following their
with integrated cooling channels, specialist knowledge in areas such journey of success.”
increased service life and lower as law, finance, marketing, leader- “Having been accepted to
weight. ship and technology. The goal is to Swedish Scaleups is fully in line
Swedish Scaleups is aimed at move the company’s products from with our growth plan,” added Ulrik
mature companies that are ready early adopters to the mass market Beste, Technical Manager at VBN
to scale up seriously and invest in while maintaining the balance Components. “The growth of a
strong growth. The programme is between growth, recruitment and company can be described as a
completely industry independent and cash flow. collection of geometric figures, that
is said to be tailored to the needs Michael Camitz, Project Manager, need to be placed in the market’s
of companies focusing on capital Swedish Scaleups / Uppsala Innova- previously different shaped holes.
raising and internationalisation. tion Centre, stated, “We are incred- Swedish Scaleups helps with
Together, through Swedish ibly pleased that VBN Components precision and how we can take
Scaleups, ten company incubators sees the value of participating in shortcuts.”
and science parks offer access to Swedish Scaleups. It is an exciting www.swedishscaleups.se
tailor-made support to scale up company with a sustainable and www.vbncomponents.se
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 37
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
38 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
FROM CONCEPT
TO COMPONENT
Additive Manufacturing
The next dimension in HPDC tooling
As a global steel and technology leader, we offer the full suite of production techniques
and services throughout the value chain, supporting and driving innovation and
development based on lengthy experience around materials and processing. Starting from
the alloy development and metal powder production, to design and manufacturing and
including post-processing. We offer the end-to-end solutions to reduce waste and mitigate
risk in the supply chain with the goal of being your trusted and reliable business partner.
We deliver tailormade solutions from concept to component.
Submitting news..
Submitting news to Metal AM is free of charge. For more information contact Paul Whittaker:
paul@inovar-communications.com
40 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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Automated
powder removal
engineered
and made
solukon.de
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020in Germany
41
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
42 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 43
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Meltio makes its metal AM machine finance plans ranging from thirty-six
to sixty months. Finance plans start
available on lease-to-own programme at €1,600 a month, depending on the
configuration of the machine and
Metal Additive Manufacturing part repairs, laser cladding, welding, terms of the agreement.
company Meltio, based in Linares, texturing and more, and is said to At the close of the lease period,
Spain, and Las Vegas, Nevada, offer easy integration with CNC the leaser will have the option to take
USA, has announced that its Meltio systems, robots and gantry systems, ownership of the financed machine
M450 metal Additive Manufacturing as well as with hybrid manufacturing when paying the last instalment or
machine can now be acquired through systems with AM capabilities. renewing the lease and receiving a
a new lease-to-own programme, The new lease-to-own programme new system or model. The programme
made available through HP Financial is said to make financing the purchase is available in more than fifty countries
Services. of a Meltio metal AM machine more and territories.
The company debuted its metal affordable by offering long-term www.meltio3d.com
Additive Manufacturing technology
at Formnext 2019, in Frankfurt,
Germany, in November. Referred to as
a ‘4D manufacturing’ technology with
‘3E Metal Deposition’, the Meltio M450
is capable of building fully-dense
parts from wire and powder in the
same machine, using a patented
multi-laser deposition technology.
The scalable machine is said
to offer a small footprint, and is
reportedly 50% less expensive than
current market systems, while using
materials up to ten times cheaper
than typically used in metal AM. It The Meltio M450 is capable of building fully-dense parts from powder (left)
can be used for applications including and wire (right) in the same machine, using a patented multi-laser deposition
the manufacturing of metal parts, technology (Courtesy Meltio)
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 45
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Additive Industries secures €14 million lutionise the productivity for the AM
of high quality metal parts,” Kersten
funding; Kersten to depart company commented. “After eight intense
years of fast growth I feel the time is
Additive Industries, Eindhoven, is found, Mark Vaes, the company’s right to make way and hand over the
the Netherlands, has secured a current Chief Technology Officer, will reins to new leadership.“
€14 million investment from its assume the position of CEO. Vaes added, “Since our inception
shareholder Highlands Beheer BV, In addition to Additive Industries’ in 2012 we have been working
parent company of the Wintermans expansion plans, the company noted relentlessly on building a system
family. Additive Industries plans to that the new funding will also provide that is unlike any other. A modular
use the capital contribution for the cover for any possible impact of the system with the largest symmetrical
expansion of its product portfolio, coronavirus (COVID-19) that may build volume commercially available,
the acceleration of its technological affect the company’s business in due minimum operating interference
roadmap and strengthening of course. and most of all, class leading
working capital. “This substantial investment productivity. I am convinced that with
Highlands has also acquired the confirms the long-term commitment the continued support of our clients,
shares owned by Daan Kersten, of Highlands to the growth ambitions our partners, our team and our
Additive Industries’ co-founder and of the company and it allows Additive shareholders we can now push our
CEO, who left the company on June Industries to make yet another innovation roadmap even more.”
30, 2020. Until a suitable successor significant step on its mission to revo- www.additiveindustries.com
46 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 47
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Farsoon introduces
large-frame
metal Additive
Manufacturing
machine
Farsoon Technologies, Changsha,
Hunan, China, has introduced a new
large-frame Laser Beam Powder
Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) machine, the
FS621M. In developing the industrial- A spacecraft engine component measuring 590 mm in diameter, built by
scale metal Additive Manufacturing Falcontech on the Farsoon FS621M (Courtesy Farsoon Technologies)
machine, the company aimed to
address some of the challenges
faced by industry, including machine with a focus on extending the The FS621M can be equipped with
productivity, part size constraints, machine’s build cylinder volume and a single 1000 W laser or four 500 W
powder management, process control increasing maximum productivity lasers, allowing for higher rates of
and factory layout. per laser. Being an important part of production. Like all Farsoon machines,
Farsoon is a global manufacturer Falcontech’s new Super AM Factory, it operates on an open platform which
and supplier of industrial level the FS621M system is expected offers the user a high degree of control
polymer and metal Additive Manu- to give Falcontech an advantage to tailor build parameters for cost-
facturing systems. It established in metal additively manufacturing competitive metal AM. An advanced
Farsoon Technologies-Americas in components for large aerospace dynamic three-axis scanning system,
Austin, Texas, USA, in 2017, and in applications. powerful build process controls and
2018, Farsoon Europe GmbH was The new machine features a real-time recoating monitoring are
established in Stuttgart, Germany, to build platform size of 620 × 620 mm also said to help ensure build quality.
expand direct operations in Europe. and vertical axis of 1.1 m. This build The machine also incorporates
The company developed the envelope offers new possibilities an integrated filter module, a
FS621M in collaboration with for large-scale metal production secondary circulating system and a
industry partner Falcontech co., that, according to Farsoon, were dual-station filter design, allowing
LTD., Wuxi City, Jiangsu, China, not previously possible in industries for the exchanging of filters without
a leading manufacturing service such as aerospace, oil and gas, and disturbing the build process. The
provider in the aerospace industry, many others. FS621M’s powder handling processes
share a common powder container
design, which is used during loading,
unloading and sieving procedures.
These containers offer fully-sealed
powder handling, easy transportation
between stations and safe storage of
powder.
The total installed base of FS621M
machines currently numbers seven
among aerospace and large-scale
manufacturing customers which focus
on large-volume AM, batch production,
and process development for the
AM of industrial powder materials
including titanium and aluminium
alloys, nickel-base superalloys and
stainless steels. Falcontech reports
that it has succeeded in supporting the
development and series production
of spacecraft components by AM in a
The FS621M large-frame metal AM machine offers a build platform of 620 x number of aerospace projects.
620 mm and a vertical axis of 1.1 m (Courtesy Farsoon Technologies) http://en.farsoon.com
48 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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GF Machining Solutions
CUT AM 500
Unique EDM separation
of AM parts
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 49
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50 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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52 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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NEW
8
VDM® Powder 71
® Powder 625
VDM
Cr F75
VDM® Powder Co
® Powder C-276
VDM
VDM® Powder 59
and many more!
Outstanding performance
Nickel and cobalt alloys produced by VDM Metals are used
in many of today‘s key technologies for the safe and reliable
handling of corrosive and high-temperature processes and
procedures. In addition to exceptional materials, available
as powders in a wide range of particle fractions, we offer
you various first class services.
A company of ACERINOX
vdm@vdm-metals.com
www.vdm-metals.com
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54 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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Elementum 3D
granted patents for
its Reactive AM
Elementum 3D, Erie, Colorado, USA,
has been awarded patents in the USA, Without RAM
Canada, and Australia for its Reac-
tive Additive Manufacturing (RAM) Fig. 1 Unmodified ‘standard’ 6061 aluminium alloy after Additive Manufacturing
technology. The company states that by PBF-LB showing large grains and an extensive network of intergranular
its RAM process significantly expands cracking. The left-hand image is unetched and the right-hand micrograph
the potential AM materials library by is etched with weck’s reagent and taken at higher magnification (Courtesy
enabling the Additive Manufacturing Elementum 3D)
of previously unviable materials.
Through RAM, Elementum 3D
explains that it has introduced a material etched with weck’s reagent gives the A6061-RAM2 material its
family of new Laser Beam Powder showing the cracking network. properties.
Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) AM materials Elementum 3D’s A6061-RAM2 “Our revolutionary technology
with superior properties compared to additively manufactured material is advances metals development
previously available AM materials and shown in Fig. 2, with the left-hand for Additive Manufacturing at an
corresponding wrought alloys. This image showing a crack-free unprecedented pace,” stated Dr Jacob
success in AM with new materials microstructure with a dispersion Nuechterlein, President and founder
and previously unsuitable traditional of nucleating and reinforcing of Elementum 3D. “It gives engineers
manufacturing materials is expected particulates. The right-hand image the extra degree of freedom they have
to enable the introduction of new AM shows a higher magnification view of never experienced, inspiring them to
applications. the same material etched by weck’s bring into existence new and innova-
The company’s RAM technology is reagent revealing the fine equiaxed tive applications.”
used to create additively manufactur- aluminium grain structure that www.elementum3d.com
able, high-performance alloy powders
based on established wrought alloys,
including aluminium 1000, 2024,
6061, 7050 and 7075. These popular
high-strength wrought aluminium
alloys could not previously be
additively manufactured because they
are prone to hot tearing (solidification
cracking), resulting in parts with poor
Without RAM
mechanical properties.
The RAM process forms Fig. 2 Elementum 3D’s A6061-RAM2 aluminium alloy showing a crack-free
sub-micron inoculants in the melt microstructure with the darker phase comprising reinforcing particles and the
pool that nucleate aluminium very fine (1–2 µm) aluminium grains revealed after etching with weck’s reagent
grains to produce a fine equiaxed in the higher magnification image on the right (Courtesy Elementum 3D)
microstructure for good buildability
and performance. By making AM
versions of these alloys widely
available, Elementum 3D states that it
eliminates material compromises.
An unmodified ‘standard’ 6061
aluminium alloy is shown in Fig. 1
after Additive Manufacturing and
polishing. The left-hand micrograph
shows a low-magnification image
of the polished and unetched Without RAM With RAM
growth plane with the large grain
structure and the network of Fig. 3 Left; Unmodified ‘standard’ 2024 aluminium alloy without RAM addi-
intergranular cracking clearly visible. tion exhibits columnar grain growth. Right; Elementum 3D’s A6061-RAM2
The right-hand image shows a higher aluminium alloy with RAM addition exhibits ductal behaviour (Courtesy
magnification micrograph of the same Elementum 3D)
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 55
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56 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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The Pioneer of
Selective Laser Melting
EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT || POWDER
POWDER || SOFTWARE | | CONSULTING
SOFTWARE CONSULTING | | SERVICE
SERVICE| | WWW.SLM-SOLUTIONS.COM
WWW.SLM-SOLUTIONS.COM
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 202057
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
POWDERFUL
SOLUTION
Very fine powders
Spherical powders
Flowability is high
Narrow par�cle size distribu�on
More than 1.000 alloys
30 years experience
58 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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Simulate It
of its CAD/CAM software suite which offers users new
and enhanced features for efficient 3D and 5-axis
machining.
A key strategy in the latest hyperMILL CAM software
Before You
releases is the ADDITIVE Manufacturing process which
reportedly supports additive and subtractive machining
on one machine tool. Open Mind states that its hyperMILL
ADDITIVE Manufacturing technology offers flexible strate-
Build It.
gies for additive material applications, including filling
strategies for both planes and free-form shapes, and
in 2D and 3D sections. Applications also include hybrid
machining to fix damaged parts and additive machining of
an existing component.
“We continue to improve the hyperMILL user experi-
ence with new, optimised strategies, as well as provide
easier to use interfaces and even more efficient filtering
and feature management functions,” stated Alan Levine,
Managing Director of Open Mind Technologies USA, Inc.
“Also, enhanced functionality in our Mill-Turn, hyperCAD®
-S and AUTOMATION Center modules are all key to
continually improving the user experience and increasing
✓ Assess:
machining productivity.” o Material & process
According to the software company, a hyperMILL
AUTOMATION Center Advanced option offers numerous parameter sensitivities
additional features and extensive templates to the soft-
ware’s automation capabilities. Templates allow the user
✓ Perform:
to define and standardise complex processes independent o In-service qualification of
of the specific geometry from any one CAD model.
Components can now be modelled parametrically printed part
directly in hyperCAD® -S, especially helpful for fast, o Meltpool Engineering
production-related designs. Parametric geometry data
used in hyperMILL is associatively linked, and when there ✓ Predict:
are any changes, is automatically updated.
www.openmind-tech.com o Voids, residual stress,
surface roughness + more
✓ Reduce
o Trial & Error, Material
Waste, Engineering Time
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 59
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Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Digital Metal launches software upgrade component quality. The new software
is now standard on all new units,
said to triple its AM build speeds and upgrade kits are available for
installed machines.
Digital Metal, part of Sweden’s triples the build speed of its DM According to, Digital Metal, its
Höganäs Group and a developer of P2500 machines. The upgrade new DM P2500 metal binder jetting
metal binder jet Additive Manufac- reportedly enables significantly machine has been made to be as
turing machines, has launched a larger production volume per accurate as possible, with all moving
new software upgrade which it states time unit while maintaining high parts having an accuracy down
to single microns, said to enable
excellent repeatability in serial
production. In addition, a 160 mm
thick custom-made diabase stone
is now incorporated to heighten
stability and ensure no vibrations
affect the Additive Manufacturing
process.
“We constantly work to improve
the performance of our printers
so that our customers can work
as cost-effectively as possible,”
stated Alexander Sakratidis, Sales
& Marketing Manager at Digital
Metal. “This important upgrade
makes it possible to reach even
greater production volumes without
sacrificing component quality. We
plan to continue introducing similar
Digital Metal has launched a software upgrade said to triple the Additive significant upgrades twice a year.”
Manufacturing speed of its DM P2500 machine (Courtesy Digital Metal) www.digitalmetal.tech
62 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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64 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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Metal AM enables
NZ Defence
Force veteran to
compete in Invictus
Games
Zenith Tecnica, Auckland, New
Zealand, recently used GE Additive
Arcam EBM technology to produce
a titanium part that will enable
New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF)
veteran, Stevin Creeggan, to compete
in the cycling events at the 2021 The titanium additively manufactured spacer and cleat in position on Creeg-
Invictus Games. The part, a titanium gan’s bike (Courtesy Zenith Tecnica)
spacer, compensates for a difference
in the length of Creeggan’s legs by
raising the surface height of one The team initially designed and allowed us to get the most out of the
bicycle pedal. additively manufactured a test run additive technology.”
Creeggan was sole survivor of a of carbon fibre prototypes, working Zenith Tecnica primarily delivers
helicopter crash in 2010 which left with Creeggan to perfect the design. parts for the aerospace, motorsports,
him with multiple injuries, including “With GE’s additive technology, using marine and medical sectors, and so
self-fused vertebrae in his neck and titanium we were able to reduce the the production of the bicycle spacer
lower back, and severe damage to his weight to 50 g which was just great for and cleat was a new challenge. “Our
right leg, which was reconstructed Stev and the design is specific to his GE Additive EBM machines are certi-
with plates, screws and rods to shoe,” Campbell continued. fied to 3D print titanium aerospace
hold his femur and lower femur Zenith Tecnica was contracted to and medical parts,” explained Sefont.
together – leaving it shorter than make the final piece in titanium using “We make quite a few customised
his left leg by 2.5 cm. Maintaining GE Additive Arcam EBM Q10plus patient-specific implants and
his fitness became a challenge after machine, which uses Electron prosthetics, as mass customisation is
his accident, leading him to take Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-EB) one of the key benefits to 3D printing,
up cycling and later put his name technology. The company’s Technical but the pedal spacer and cleat is not
forward to complete in The Invictus Manager, Peter Sefont, stated that the something we have manufactured
Games. The games were founded in design was highly effective, noting, before so it was great to be a part of
2014 by Prince Harry for current and “we only had to suggest a few small it,” he stated.
former armed service personnel who tweaks to get to the final design and it www.zenithtecnica.com
have been wounded or injured. Next
year, Creeggan will compete in the
archery, wheelchair basketball, and
cycling events.
Ewan Conaghan and Martin
Campbell, New Zealand Defence
Force mechanical engineers, took
on the project. While Campbell
stated that he has a long history with
bicycles and “jumped at the chance”
to produce the spacer, Conaghan
noted that the design brief was out of
the ordinary for a design engineering
team more accustomed to designing
parts for military vehicles.
“We are mechanical engineers, but
people will knock on our door with all
sorts of ideas,” he stated. “As soon
as we saw David’s request, we knew
immediately that 3D printing was the Martin Campbell and Ewan Conaghan, NZDF engineers, with a printed
way to go.” prototype (Courtesy Zenith Tecnica)
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 65
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Amaero adds AmPro SP500 and SP100 ideal for R&D, academia, teaching,
and low volume production. It has
machines at new USA facility a smaller Laser Beam Powder Bed
Fusion (PBF-LB) platform with a build
Amaero International Limited, head- The AmPro SP500 is said to be envelope of 100 mm diameter and 80
quartered in Notting Hill, Victoria, particularly suited to the Additive mm in build height.
Australia, has commissioned its first Manufacturing of steel tooling “I was particularly impressed by
AmPro SP500 and SP100 machines and has a build area of 500 x 250 x the safety, efficiency, and capital costs
at its new facility in El Segundo, 250 mm with minimal factory floor of the machines and look forward to
California, USA. Amaero is reported impact compared to traditional putting them to use,” commented
to have exclusive distribution rights machine tool options. The machine Shawn Zindroski, General Manager of
for the sale of AmPro machines in features removable build cartridges, US operations, Amaero International
North America, and is now offering enabling fast build changeovers. Limited. “The SP100 technology
the SP500 and SP100, as well as their The AmPro SP100 is reportedly gives us the ability to test, validate,
ancillaries. simple to use, easy to maintain, and and develop our internal parameters
set for our existing powder alloys.
Importantly, as the metal powder
market continues to evolve we will
have a platform to test new alloys
easily to scale for our customer
production runs.”
Barrie Finnin, CEO, Amaero
International Limited, stated, “This
is a significant milestone in our
company’s overall growth strategy as
we are now able to really accelerate
our sales strategy. Having the AmPro
SP500 and SP100 operational for the
first time marked the start of our
machine sales in the United States.
“Machine sales form an important
part of our business plan and strategy
and through our exclusive distribution
rights for the AmPro machines in
the United States we are now able
to offer the SP500, SP100, and their
ancillaries for sale as of today.”
Amaero installed its first AmPro SP500 and SP100 machines at its new facility www.amaero.com.au
in El Segundo, California, USA (Courtesy Amaero) www.amprogroup.com.au
66 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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mimete.com/lab-offer
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Together
we lead the
Additive
Manufacturing
Revolution
www.materials-solutions.com
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DoE grants $28 million funding for R&D test environment or with coatings, with
turbine inlet temperatures of 1,800°C
on ultra-high temperature materials or higher.
“Gas turbines are a major
The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) in these sectors as well as across a generator of electricity, and have
has announced up to $28 million in range of other sectors. significantly contributed to the cleaner
funding for a new Advanced Research The ULTIMATE programme aims to generation of electricity over the
Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) improve the efficiency of gas turbines past several years,” stated Mark W
programme called ULtrahigh by increasing the temperature Menezes, Under Secretary of Energy.
Temperature Impervious Materials capability of the materials used in the “Developing new, innovative technolo-
Advancing Turbine Efficiency most demanding environments, such gies under the ULTIMATE programme
(ULTIMATE), reports the Metal Powder as the turbine blade. The temperature will allow us to better utilise gas
Industries Federation (MPIF). The capability of current state-of-the-art turbines across multiple power
programme will reportedly develop blade materials has improved steadily sectors, from electricity generation to
and demonstrate ultra-high tempera- over the last few decades to 1,100°C, transportation and aviation, making all
ture materials that can operate in the through incremental microstructure of these industries more efficient.”
high-temperature and high-stress and chemistry refinement. Lane Genatowski, ARPA-E Director,
environments of a gas turbine blade. However, there exists a new commented, “The development
Projects will specifically target gas opportunity to discover, develop, and of novel ultra-high temperature
turbine applications in the power implement novel materials that work alloys in conjunction with coatings
generation and aviation industries. at temperatures significantly higher and advanced manufacturing will
According to the DoE, gas turbines than industry standard superalloys, help to increase the efficiency of
are used for a variety of applications, to further increase efficiency and our nation’s power generation and
from aerospace engines to industrial economic gains. aviation industries. Enabling turbines
power generation, and natural ULTIMATE projects will address to operate at higher temperatures
gas turbines currently produce an this need by developing novel ultra- for longer sustained periods will
estimated 35% of the electricity high temperature metal alloys and result in significant reductions of both
generated across the USA. Improving coatings integrated with advanced wasted energy and carbon emissions
turbine efficiency is expected to manufacturing processes. The ULTI- across many crucial power generation
create opportunities to generate MATE programme will target enabling applications.”
more energy savings, lower carbon gas turbines blades to operate www.energy.gov
emissions, and benefit the economy continuously at 1,300°C in a material www.arpa-e.energy.gov
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 71
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
72 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
MTI
Specialized in AM metal materials
Ti Based
Ni Based Fe Based
Powder
Type
Customized
Co Based
HIP
Materials
SLM
R&D
Application Metal 3D
Printer
MIM
EBM
PVD
DEB BJ
74 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Industry News
www.cmfurnaces.com info@cmfurnaces.com 103 Dewey Street Bloomfield, NJ 07003-4237 | Tel: 973-338-6500 | Fax: 973-338-1625
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 75
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
H.C. Starck Tantalum & Niobium These advantages are also critical
when it comes to big data, a topic
changes name to Taniobis which has become increasingly
relevant since the rapid rise of global
As of July 1, 2020, H.C. Starck For processing data using high- wireless data access has made
Tantalum & Niobium has announced performance processors, an ultrathin high-speed data processing even
that it is operating under the Taniobis layer containing tantalum ensures more crucial. It also takes on special
brand name. Taniobis will continue ongoing disruption-free operation. importance in light of the growing
to offer a wide range of materials, Taniobis also processes tantalum trend toward assisted driving and even
powders, and alloys based on for tantalum electrolytic capaci- autonomous driving.
tantalum and niobium. tors. These items are essential to Additive Manufacturing is another
Taniobis uses these rare ores advanced microelectronics, as they important area of application. Taniobis
and refractory metals to produce have extremely high energy density. is a leader in the development of
high-performance powders on an This makes it possible to design biocompatible alloys for the production
individual basis for its customers. ultra-small components with high of patient-specific implants made
These materials are important in a conductivity, which is important in the using AM. The Taniobis development
range if industries, including automo- IoT segment in particular. That makes known as AMtrinsic is of particular
tive, energy, aviation, electronics, the them interesting for the connected interest in this context; these
chemical industry and the medical driving and connected cars segment pre-alloyed high-performance powders
technology industry. as well. Capacitor powders form the were developed specifically for AM.
The supply and development of Ta basis for mobile and security-related Thanks to the unique intrinsic
and Nb materials also supports global applications in connected cars. properties of tantalum and niobium,
trends in areas including the Internet In the IoT context, a thin layer such as high melting points, high
of Things (IoT), big data, smart cities, based on tantalum is essential when resistance to corrosion, extremely
and connectivity, where current it comes to making copper an option high resistance to chemicals, and high
developments are heavily dependent as a conductor material for high- thermal and electrical conductivity,
on tantalum and niobium. speed processors. Without this layer, Ta and Nb and alloys containing these
For example, in data communica- Cu ions would destroy the processors’ elements are suitable for a wide range
tion, the goal is to filter and set semiconducting properties. The of high-tech applications in fields such
transmission frequencies on an exact tantalum layers are not only neces- as the chemical industry, the energy
basis: this takes place via surface sary for logical data chips; they are segment, in superconductors and in
acoustic wave (SAW) filters based on also needed for storage chips such as high-temperature environments.
niobium oxide and tantalum oxide. flash memory and SSDs. www.taniobis.com
76 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
An impeller part produced using the NeuBeam process In process view of the NeuBeam process, producing
with no post-processing (Courtesy Wayland Additive) impeller part (Courtesy Wayland Additive)
78 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
test,
analyze,
characterize
Validating Powders, Feedstock & Products
For 75 years, NSL Analytical has been trusted to verify the highest standards of quality, performance,
and safety. NSL supports innovation by testing powder metal, feedstock, prototype designs and final
products for the Additive Manufacturing Industry.
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 79
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Aerospace
we have announced in previous applications where the higher cost
press releases, and is a key and of plasma atomised powders was
Ÿ We can arrange trials from
R&D to pilot to production Silicon
fundamental step forward,” stated
MIM
Peter Pascali, CEO and president of
typically prohibitive.”
“This relationship outside of
PyroGenesis. Europe expands, builds upon and
PyroGenesis’ NexGen™ Plasma complements
Aluminiumthat which we have
Atomization System, which produces developed with Aubert & Duval in
Nickel
metal powder at over 25 kg/hour,
was unveiled in 2019 after having
fulfilled a specialty metal powder
Europe,” added Pascali. “It has
taken a bit more time than expected,
but we now have in place one of
order for a non-aerospace client, the best quality systems which,
while maintaining all the character- combined with our gamechanging
istics demanded by the AM Industry NexGen™ technology, positions us
(such as oxygen content, flowability, HIP
well to service the AM Industry.”
density, etc.). www.pyrogenesis.com
Automotive
80 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020HIP © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
Magnesium
Aluminium
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Industry News
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Hybrid manufacturing also site in Würselen responsible for few centimetres in size is used as
provides a good example of how project management and cell inte- required.
complex variant diversity can be gration of the robot, while Laserline Fraunhofer ILT states that, at
simplified in production, Bremer GmbH from Mülheim-Kärlich is in its Aachen base, there is one large
explained: “For example, you always charge of the design and develop- and one more compact robotic cell
start by punching and trimming ment of the beam source and for Additive Manufacturing. With
a basic part in the same way. The optics. M. Braun Inertgas-Systeme additional financial support from
variants are then later produced GmbH, Garching, is responsible the BMBF, they are creating a less
using LMD. The user can, therefore, for the construction of a shielding expensive version of the ProLMD
continue to use his punching gas cell, while Dortmund-based robot system for small- and
machine, but then additively apply BCT Steuerungs- und DV-Systeme medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
reinforcements to the component, GmbH is developing the software “We have scaled down the
for example.” and machine-integrated measuring solution from a 3.1 m long robot
“Thanks to the LMD process technology. arm with 90 kg load capacity to
and the technologies developed in While KUKA has its robot weld about 2 m and 60 kg load capacity,”
ProLMD, we can act flexibly and use materials sensitive to oxidation, Bremer further added. “On the
automation to a great extent. This such as titanium, in a flexible large robot, we can demonstrate a
is in line with our guiding principle: shielding gas cell reliably, the flexible changing system with wire-
Additive Manufacturing – but only Aachen-based engineers are using and powder-based processing
in those parts of the process chain another robot system to weld nickel- heads, while the small cell is
where it results in added value,” he and iron-based materials without a all about powder-based LMD,
concluded. shielding gas cell, but with shielding machine-integrated geometry
The division of tasks among the gas flowing locally from the nozzle. measurement and the new CAM
other project partners sees the If the deposition rate is higher, an module.”
Lasertec business unit of the KUKA additional shielding gas nozzle of a www.prolmd.de
Alloys
• Stainless steels • Tool steels
Technology
• Anti-satellite system Place your
orders
• Vacuum Induction for excellent powder
• Maraging steels • Ni superalloys Gas Atomiser (VIGA) flowability
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 85
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Heraeus AMLOY
and Trumpf
to work on
the Additive
Manufacturing of
amorphous metals
Heraeus AMLOY, a division of Heraeus,
Hanau, Germany, and Trumpf,
Ditzingen, Germany, have joined
together to collaborate on the Additive
Manufacturing of amorphous metals,
also known as metallic glasses. The
aim of the collaboration is to establish
the Additive Manufacturing of amor-
phous parts as a standard production
method on the shop floor by improving
process and cost efficiencies.
An amorphous expansion sleeve is one part that can be improved by the
According to the companies,
Additive Manufacturing of amorphous metals (Courtesy Heraeus AMLOY)
amorphous metals are twice as strong
as steel, yet significantly lighter and
more elastic. They exhibit isotropic lightweight design, as an AM machine the machine is designed to enable
behaviour, which means their material only builds structures that actually excess powder to be prepared in
properties remain identical, regard- help a part fulfil its function, so an inert gas environment for the
less of the direction in which the AM material use and weight are kept to a subsequent build. This protects the
machine builds up the workpiece. minimum. powder from any adverse influences,
Heraeus AMLOY and Trumpf Amorphous metals are very which is a key for amorphous metals
believe that a number of areas could light by nature, so the combination because they react so quickly with
benefit from the Additive Manufac- of Additve Manufacturing and oxygen.
turing of amorphous metals, and key amorphous metals can reduce weight Customers that already have a
examples of this include parts that in a range of applications. AM makes Trumpf AM machine can now report-
are subject to significant stresses, as the production of amorphous parts edly use it to process zirconium-
well as where lightweight design is faster and simpler in a wide range of based alloys from Heraeus AMLOY,
required, in sectors such as aerospace contexts, and enables users to build and it is also possible to order
and mechanical engineering. These parts in one piece instead of making additively manufactured amorphous
materials are also believed to be an components one-by-one and then parts directly from Heraeus. The two
excellent choice for medical devices assembling them into a finished part. partners hope to make copper- and
due to their biocompatibility. titanium-based alloys available for
Tailoring amorphous alloys for Additive Manufacturing in the future.
Combining the advantages of Trumpf’s TruPrint machines Klaus Parey, Managing Director
amorphous metals and Additive As part of this collaboration, Heraeus Trumpf Additive Manufacturing,
Manufacturing AMLOY will combine its expertise commented, “Amorphous metals
Amorphous metals are formed by in the production and processing of hold potential for numerous
cooling molten metal extremely amorphous metals with Trumpf’s industries. For example, they can
quickly. An Additive Manufacturing experience in Additive Manufacturing. be used in medical devices – one of
machine can then build them into Heraeus AMLOY states that it has the most important industries for
larger, more complex parts – some- optimised its amorphous alloys for Additive Manufacturing. That’s why
thing that other methods are unable to Additive Manufacturing and tailored we believe this collaboration is such
do, according to the two companies. the material for use with Trumpf’s a great opportunity to make even
This opens the door to new TruPrint systems. more inroads into this key market
industrial applications for amorphous The latest-generation TruPrint with our industrial 3D printing
metals. Additive Manufacturing also 2000 machine is believed to be a systems.”
exploits the considerable potential particularly good choice for additively www.heraeus.com
that amorphous metals hold for manufacturing amorphous metals, as www.trumpf.com
86 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
HIRTISATION®
FULLY AUTOMATED POST-PROCESSING
OF 3D-PRINTED METAL PARTS
Hirtenberger Engineered
Surfaces GmbH
Leobersdorfer Strasse 31-33
2552 Hirtenberg/Austria
Phone: +43 2256 811 84-835
E-Mail: hes@hirtenberger.com hes.hirtenberger.com
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 87
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
ASTM INTERNATIONAL
Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence
ASTM
Explore all the general (Online) Workshop (Virtual) ICAM 2020 (Virtual and
elements needed when Earn a General AM Certificate Keep pace with rapidly In-Person)
setting up your facility for that will serve as a pre-requisite growing AM technologies Join over 50 AM experts from
AM, plus safety issues to for earning future role-based and gain a general 10 countries to discuss recent
consider during the life of certificates through the ASTM understanding of the entire advancements in the field with
AM processes, including AM CoE. Covers all general AM value chain in this an emphasis on transitioning of
emergency response. concepts of the AM process one-day workshop. This research to applications. More
chain. Open to anyone virtual event will cover a than 17 planned symposiums
July 28-29 looking to advance their AM range of topics related to featuring 325+ speakers will
knowledge! AM industrialization and cover additive manufacturing
automation, followed by a standardization, qualification,
Week 1: August 4 & 6 panel discussion on “Rapid certification, and more.
Response: AM Qualification
and Certification During Full list of topics at
Week 2: August 11 & 13
Crisis.” www.amcoe.org/icam
Week 3: August 18 & 20
September 11 November 16-20
Week 4: August 25, 26,
& 27
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2.66% 2.37%
4.98% 0.725%
5520
Production costs [EUR/part]
5000
5519.5
4000
5519
3000
5518.5
2000
89.3%
5518
50 100 150 1000
Machine costs
Lot size Labor costs 0
Indirect material costs
Trace 0 Direct material costs Production Benefits
Trace 1 Postprocessing costs costs
Researchers from RWTH Aachen University and have published a cost-benefit tool for AM as part of the ‘AM 4 Industry’
project (Courtesy ‘AM 4 Industry’)
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| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
94 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Powder Metallurgy Training Courses 2020
New Dates
Email: dn@epma.com Registration forms and prices at:
www.pmlifetraining.com
ADDITIVE
MANUFACTURING
24-28 August 2020 Dresden, Germany
For those wishing to gain profound insights
into the current state of Additive Manufacturing
technologies for metal and ceramic parts,
including non-beam methods like binder jetting and
fused filament fabrication, this is the perfect place to be.
The unique abundance of dedicated AM labs of four
Fraunhofer institutes, as well as the strong industry
presence, ensures that this intense course is up-to-date
and of practical relevance. The program includes plant
and lab visits as well as practical hands-on exercises.
POWDER AND
HARD METAL
12-16 October 2020 Gothenburg, Sweden
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| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
INOVAR
C O M M U N I C A T I O N S
DOWNLOAD ALL
BACK ISSUES OF
METAL AM
MAGAZINE FOR FREE
Empa uses novel AM process to alter In the smallest case, the pool
was 200 microns in diameter and 50
properties in magnetic parts microns deep, in the largest case
350 microns wide and 200 microns
deep. The larger melt pool allows
Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories of metal powder with only the power
much more nitrogen to evaporate
for Materials Science and Technology and duration of the laser beam
from the alloy; the solidifying steel
based in Dübendorf, Switzerland, has varied.
crystallises with a high proportion of
published its results from a recent At the beginning of the study, the
magnetisable ferrite. In the case of
research study, creating new alloys Empa team, led by Aryan Arabi-
the smallest melt pool, the melted
with novel properties and embedding Hashemi and Christian Leinenbach,
steel solidifies much faster. The
them in additively manufactured used a special type of stainless
nitrogen remains in the alloy; the
metal workpieces with micrometre steel which was developed twenty
steel crystallises mainly in the form
precision. years ago by Hempel Special Metals
of non-magnetic austenite.
During metal Additive Manu- in Dübendorf, among others. The
During the experiment, the
facturing in Laser Beam Powder so-called P2000 steel does not
researchers had to determine the
Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) machines, contain nickel, but around 1% of
nitrogen content in tiny, millimetre-
temperatures of more than 2,500°C nitrogen. P2000 steel is said to not
sized metal samples very precisely
are reached within milliseconds, cause allergies and is well suited
and measure the local magnetisation
causing some components of the for medical applications. However,
to within a few micrometres, as well
alloys to evaporate. Widely considered it is particularly hard, which makes
as the volume ratio of austenitic and
a problem inherent to the process, conventional milling more difficult.
ferritic steel.
Empa researchers explain that they Initially, it seems unsuitable as a
According to Empa, the experi-
have transformed this problem into base material for AM, state the team.
ment could soon add a key tool to
an opportunity.. In the melting zone of the laser beam,
the methodology of metal production
Empa states that the material the temperature quickly peaks and a
and processing. The method is said
sample, which it describes as a large part of the nitrogen within the
to be not limited to stainless steels,
small metallic chessboard 4 mm metal normally evaporates, changing
but can also be useful for many other
long on either side, shows that the properties of the P2000 steel.
alloys.
Additive Manufacturing is not only Arabi-Hashemi and Leinenbach
“In 3D laser printing, we can easily
suitable for creating new geometric are reported to have turned this
reach temperatures of more than
shapes, but also for producing new drawback into an advantage. They
2500°C locally,” stated Leinenbach.
materials with completely new modified the scanning speed of the
“This allows us to vaporise various
functionalities. The small chessboard laser and the intensity of the laser
components of an alloy in a
is a particularly obvious example, with beam, which melts the particles
targeted manner – e.g. manganese,
its eight magnetic squares, and eight in the metal powder bed, and thus
aluminium, zinc, carbon and many
non-magnetic squares. The entire varied the size and lifetime of
more – and thus locally change the
piece has reportedly been additively the liquid melt pool in a specified
chemical composition of the alloy.”
manufactured from a single grade manner.
Leinenbach considers certain
nickel-titanium alloys known as
shape memory alloys and at what
temperature the alloy “remembers”
its programmed shape depends on
just 0.1% more or less nickel in the
mixture. By using AM, structural
components could be made that react
locally and in a staggered manner to
different temperatures.
The ability to produce different
alloy compositions with micrometre
precision in a single component could
also be helpful in the design of more
efficient electric motors, explains the
Empa. It is now possible to build the
stator and the rotor of the electric
motor and make better use of the
Precisely magnetised iron filings stick to this mini chessboard with 4 mm edge geometry of the magnetic fields.
length (Courtesy Empa) www.empa.ch
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 97
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Texas A&M researchers develop “Porosities are tiny holes that can
sharply reduce the strength of the
method for Additive Manufacturing final 3D printed object, even if the
martensitic hard steels raw material used for the 3D printing
is very strong,” explained Karaman.
“To find practical applications for the
Researchers at Texas A&M University, Although the procedure developed new martensitic steel, we needed
USA, in collaboration with scientists was initially for martensitic steels, to go back to the drawing board and
at the US Air Force Research researchers from the Texas A&M said investigate which laser settings could
Laboratory, have reportedly developed they have made their guidelines general prevent these defects.”
a process that allows the Additive enough so that the same AM pipeline
Manufacturing of martensitic steels can be used to build intricate objects Predicting and preventing defects in
into sturdy, defect-free objects of from other metals and alloys. The additively manufactured martensitic
nearly any shape. findings of the study were reported in steels
Martensitic steels naturally lend the December issue of Acta Materialia. For their experiments, Karaman and
themselves to applications in the the Texas A&M team first used an
aerospace, automotive and defence Martensite steels and metal Additive existing mathematical model inspired
industries, among others, where Manufacturing by one used in welding to predict
high-strength, lightweight parts need Martensite steels are formed when how a single layer of martensitic
to be manufactured without adding steels are heated to extremely high steel powder would melt at different
to part cost. However, for these and temperatures before being rapidly laser speed and power settings. By
other applications, the metals must cooled. The sudden cooling unnaturally comparing the type and number of
to be able to be built into complex confines carbon atoms within iron defects they observed in a single track
structures with minimal loss of crystals, giving martensitic steel of melted powder with the model’s
strength and durability. its signature strength. To meet the predictions, they were able to change
“Strong and tough steels have needs of a diverse field of applica- their existing framework slightly so
tremendous applications but tions, martensitic steels, particularly that subsequent predictions improved.
the strongest ones are usually low-alloy martensitic steels, must be After a few such iterations, it was
expensive – the one exception being capable of being formed into a wide stated that their framework could
martensitic steels that are relatively range of shapes and sizes depending correctly forecast – without additional
inexpensive, costing less than a dollar on requirements. experiments – whether a new,
per pound,” stated Ibrahim Karaman, Additive Manufacturing is the ideal untested set of laser settings would
Chevron Professor I and head of the solution for the production of complex- lead to defects in the martensitic steel
Department of Materials Science and shaped components, but the AM of builds. This procedure is more time-
Engineering. “We have developed martensitic steels using laser-based efficient, the researchers explained:
a framework so that 3D printing of processes such as Laser Beam Powder “By combining experiments and
these hard steels is possible into any Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) can introduce modelling, we were able to develop a
desired geometry and the final object defects such as pores within the simple, quick, step-by-step procedure
will be virtually defect-free.” material. that can be used to determine which
setting would work best for 3D
printing of martensitic steels,” stated
Raiyan Seede, a graduate student in
the College of Engineering and the
primary author of the study.
Further contributors to the study
included Austin Whitt and Raymundo
Arróyave from the Department of
Materials Science and Engineering;
David Shoukr, Bing Zhang and Alaa
Elwany from the Department of
Industrial and Systems Engineering;
and Sean Gibbons and Philip Flater
from the Air Force Research Labora-
tory, Florida. The research was funded
by the Army Research Office and the
Martensite steel powder used for AM (Courtesy Raiyan Seede, Microstructural Air Force Research Laboratory.
Engineering of Structural and Active Materials Group, Texas A&M) https://engineering.tamu.edu/
98 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
Analysis. Trends. Forecasts.
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
■ Undisputed, industry-leading report for 25 consecutive years ■ Input and analysis from
the largest groups of experts worldwide ■ New sections on AM partnerships, software, and
emerging applications ■ Expanded sections on AM investments, materials, and post-processing
wohlersassociates.com
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 99
Industry News | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
3T-am cuts part setup time from five The need for automation at 3T-am
3T-am’s ambition was to produce
hours to ten minutes with Renishaw right-first-time parts, but the
and MSP company found that this would be
impossible without automation due
to the inherent challenges posed
3T Additive Manufacturing Ltd Though it has always delivered by Additive Manufacturing. Their
(3T-am), Newbury, Berkshire, UK, has orders on time, due to its meticulous production to near-net shape means
achieved a reduction in its part setup and lengthy setup processes, opera- there is little material to work with,
time from five hours to ten minutes tors were often required to work giving no margin of error, and they
with the adoption of technology from unplanned overtime shifts in order are usually complex shapes with no
Renishaw PLC, Wotton-under-Edge, to fulfil urgent customer orders and orthogonal surfaces to locate on,
Gloucestershire, UK, and Renishaw meet quick turnaround times. To making it difficult to achieve accurate
associate company MSP, Alnwick, ease this pressure, the company alignments. Furthermore, the AM
Northumberland, UK. made significant investments in build process can cause parts to
3T-am, formerly 3T RPD, offers two 5-axis mills and a CMM, but distort, meaning their final shape may
metal and polymer Additive Manu- despite this extra capacity, each part be marginally different to the initial
facturing services to a wide range still required manual setup, and, CAD model.
of industries, primarily using Laser therefore, created additional demand Before introducing MSP’s products,
Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB). It on their manufacturing personnel to 3T-am manually located each part in
offers supply chain solutions providing deliver parts on schedule. the fixture. This was a highly skilled
parts that reduce volume weight, By automating 3T-am’s and very time consuming process to
cost and lead time whilst maintaining processes, MSP has made it possible ensure the alignment was accurate.
safety through prototype, development for the company to complete setup Test spotting cuts were made to
and serial production. and alignment for a full batch of visually identify positional error, and
3T-am has experienced strong parts in the machine during the the part was then either manually
growth in recent years, and while day and leave the machine to run adjusted again or updates to the
originally known for its prototyping overnight with full confidence. machining program were made.
capabilities, has more recently This has enabled 24/7 lights-out This manual setup process took, on
become established as a serial production, allowing the company to average, five hours per part, but for
production company. As a result, maximise its machine utilisation and more complex parts could sometimes
the company is looking to expand produce a whole batch of parts in take a day.
its capability and capacity to meet one day, compared to only one part Once the initial part had been
customer demand. previously. machined, a first article inspection
on the CMM was performed before
the rest of the batch could be
manufactured. For a complex part,
this inspection process could check in
excess of sixty features, and it would
only be at this stage that errors were
discovered, meaning that the setup
process needed adjustments and
causing delay in the manufacture
of the other parts. Even if the part
passed inspection, the machine tool
had in the meantime sat unused
waiting for the inspection result.
Furthermore, the length of the
process meant jobs were passed
between operators and engineers
changing shifts, which resulted in
extensive technical handovers to
safeguard the alignments needed on
each job. For more complex parts, a
‘one job, one man’ method was used
to avoid key information being missed;
3T-am’s part setup time was reduced from five hours to ten minutes (Courtesy however, this made part manufacture
MSP) solely dependent on one person
100 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 101
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Virtual Congress
5 – 7 October 2020
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R&D
Metrology
Materials
Post-processing
Services
Manufacturing solutions
Pre-processing
Jewellery is a multifaceted and the support of tooling), whereas for aspect of production, further discus-
complex sector which is almost a piece of jewellery manufactured sion is needed on whether the value
impossible to consider as a single with faster, technology-based is different when AM is involved for
industry. This is in part because processes, the added value is based part of the production process, or
of cultural influences that play a on the perfect replication of the the entire process is based on the
significant role in differentiating the same design, in small or large scale, hand-modelling skills of an artist or
types of jewellery produced, and at a lower cost than if it had been artisan. This is a discussion that will
in part because of how jewellery is handmade. Regarding the artisan not find an easy conclusion, if any.
manufactured. Based on a particular
culture, nationality and market,
bespoke, small series or large series
collections might be more likely.
Considering the evident differences
between the type of jewellery made
by a skilful artisan or an artist, and
jewellery produced on a large or
even medium scale, it appears clear
that the processes and technologies
involved will differ – sometimes
substantially. It is essential to
comprehend these aspects of
the jewellery industry in order to
understand how precious metal
Additive Manufacturing, based mainly
on Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion
(PBF-LB) technology, has challenged
the sector to find its own niche.
Given the value of the materials
used, the added value of jewellery Fig. 1 A bracelet from the ‘Embrace’ collection by Marie Boltenstern consisting
manufactured by an artisan is based of rows of colourful 4 mm gemstones woven into additively manufactured
on the fact that it is handmade (with protective geometric spheres (Photo courtesy www.loupiosity.com)
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Fig. 4 An additively manufactured 18 Kt necklace by Nuovi Gioielli from the ‘Sound of Wings’ collection (Courtesy Nuovi
Gioielli S.R.L.)
significant advantages for volume So where in this landscape AM could reduce the weight of some
production, eliminating some process parts, or enable mechanical parts to
does precious metal
steps, saving time and keeping costs be manufactured in one piece rather
low.
Additive Manufacturing fit? than several assembled pieces. In the
It goes without saying, of course, jewellery industry, the same exercises
that over the years the jewellery The arrival of precious metal AM in did not yield such positive results. It is
industry has fully adopted other the jewellery market was met with true that reducing weight in jewellery
processes such as stamping, curiosity and enthusiasm, especially is one crucial factor, given the price of
electroforming and CNC machining among production departments and precious metal, but it is not the only
for medium to large production runs product developers. The immediate one. In fact, the same comparison
or to provide semi-finished/finished question was how both AM manu- exercise, investigating how a piece
parts. However, these processes facturers and potential adopters of jewellery currently produced by
require higher upfront investments could evaluate the potential of this casting or CNC would perform if
and must be used to manufacture new technology. The immediate produced by metal AM, could be very
very high numbers of a product to approach was to make a comparison misleading.
amortise the cost. These production against pieces of jewellery already A 2016 study carried out by
processes, therefore, are preferred manufactured using other technolo- Bulgari [1] reported on several trials
for collections where consistent and gies. I remember reading with great undertaken by the company. The
large scale production is planned, or curiosity the papers published on company’s team compared parts of
for collections with a higher mark-up, successful trials carried out in the their jewellery collection, in precious
such as those by luxury brands. aerospace industry, where metal and non-precious metal, made by
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 109
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Fig. 5 These 18 Kt gold ‘Ojo’ pendants were created as part of a research project into the AM of complex jewellery
designs, with a particular focus on surface finish and polishing processes (Courtesy Frank Cooper, Birmingham School
of Jewellery, UK / Cooksongold)
the direct casting of an additively an early adopter of AM for precious enables the creation of new produc-
manufactured resin model, against metals, his approach is simple: if tion paths, such as the production of
pieces made by metal AM. The main a product already performs well a piece of jewellery in an alloy that
aspects analysed by this study were when manufactured using a selected would be problematic to process
density and conformity. The study technique, why should we consider using casting, such as platinum or
is thorough and detailed, taking switching the production method to titanium. In particular, he highlights
into consideration several metals Additive Manufacturing? The answer, how titanium Additive Manufacturing
and alloys, and represents a huge of course, is that we shouldn’t. Or at has opened up new opportunities
and extensive analysis comparing least – we more than likely shouldn’t. for jewellery brands and emerging
elements made using the two The investment involved in designers. Titanium is much lighter
different techniques. However, from adopting a manufacturing method than the traditional precious metals
the beginning, precious metal AM such as precious metal AM should used in jewellery, and thus offers
has had a disadvantage, which made not be considered for those pieces of the advantage of creating large,
it challenging for jewellery making: jewellery that can already be produced statement pieces without affecting
the surface quality of as-built parts. perfectly well using their current wearability. Precious metal AM has
Even if using the right combination of production method; where it should offered the opportunity for designers
parameters (scan speed, laser power, be considered is where the use of AM to think about jewellery production in
etc) might offer the desired quality, enables designers to challenge the a different way.
Bulgari’s team found that the process norm and produce jewellery designs, This seems to be the key point
time required to produce the piece which would be impossible to make of precious metal AM: that it allows
to the necessary quality would be by any other available manufacturing manufacturers and designers to think
too extensive, defeating the original technique. This is the key. in a way that was not possible before.
purpose. Damiano Zito, CEO of Progold Frank Cooper, Senior Lecturer and
However, having talked recently S.p.A., makes almost the same Centre Manager at the Centre for
with Ivano Torresan, CEO of Italian argument – he states that precious Digital Design and Manufacturing,
jewellery producer Nuovi Gioielli and metal AM should be adopted where it within Birmingham City University’s
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Conclusion
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Fig. 16 PBF-LB machines that are highly-suited to precious metal Additive Manufacturing are available on the market,
including the Precious M 080 from EOS GmbH and Cooksongold, and the Mysint 100 from Sisma S.p.A.
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Stay tuned this fall as we announce our best lineup yet. The world’s most
influential technology leaders and innovators will share their expertise and
inspire your next big move in additive.
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| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | The unrealised potential of PBF-EB
In January, Boeing’s new 777X aircraft made its maiden flight, powered by
two GE9X engines from GE Aviation. Whilst this was a major moment for both
companies, it was also a huge milestone for Electron Beam Powder Bed
Fusion (PBF-EB), and the culmination of decades of process and material
development work at the driving force behind the technology, Arcam AB. Whilst
the many turbine blades used in the GE9X engine are the highlight of the first
chapter in the story of PBF-EB, there is also a lingering sense of unrealised
potential. Here, Joseph Kowen considers the story to date and highlights a new
generation of firms working to increase the technology’s adoption.
The metal AM world is blessed with a Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-EB) vast majority of all PBF-EB machines
number of proven technologies that resembles PBF-LB, but lags far installed in the market. The question
have been diligently developed and behind in adoption, despite a is why does PBF-EB lag so far behind
improved upon over the past twenty promising value proposition in a PBF-LB in terms of adoption? In the
years. These technologies use a wide number of application areas. GE following article, we will examine the
range of feedstock materials such as Additive Arcam EBM is currently strengths and weaknesses of PBF-EB
powders, wires, rods and filaments. In the dominant provider of PBF-EB and PBF-LB, and try to predict where
some processes, energy sources are technology, and accounts for the PBF-EB is headed.
directly applied to these materials to
create a part, while other processes
produce ‘green’ parts which then have
to be sintered to produce functional
metal parts with appropriate metal-
lurgical properties.
When it comes to the business
of AM, there is currently only one
technology that has a significant,
if not outright dominant, position
in the market for metal Additive
Manufacturing: Laser Beam Powder
Bed Fusion (PBF-LB). The main
advantage of this technology is that
multiple parts, or even large parts,
are produced at a reasonably high
resolution, in a well-understood and
stable process requiring no secondary
sintering process, with predictable
results. The process is, of course, not
without its headaches and drawbacks. Fig. 1 GE Additive Arcam EBM is currently the dominant provider of PBF-EB
Technologically respected, though technology, and accounts for the vast majority of all installed PBF-EB
often overlooked, Electron Beam machines in the market (Courtesy GE Additive)
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Fig. 3 PBF-EB processing enables a virtually instantaneous positioning of the electron beam over the entire build area of
each layer (Courtesy Freemelt AB)
emitted from a heated filament or deflection mechanism has no mass tors found it more difficult to master,
crystal and accelerated by a high and no inertia, enabling a virtually although electron beams were used
voltage. The electromagnetic coils instantaneous positioning of the for many applications long before the
shape and position the electron electron beam over the entire build laser was invented.
beam similarly to how light is area of each layer (Fig. 3), and for Another reason may be that
focused and positioned by optical a large number of melt pools to be many potential users of metal AM
lenses and mirrors. The build processed simultaneously. Melting technology simply chose the path
chamber and the EB source remain powder using a laser necessitates of least resistance. This may or
under vacuum for the duration of the the serial fusing of different parts may not be true, but the unit sales
build process. It takes up to about an of the layer, or the use of multiple statistics do not lie. It is fair to say
hour to create the required vacuum. lasers, with important consequences, that PBF-LB has achieved a higher
At the end of the build, the chamber as shall be discussed. level of technical maturity – until now.
is filled with inert helium gas to Factors that may have existed in the
speed up the cooling process. After early days might make an interesting
a few hours of cooling in helium, the Common misconceptions study for historians looking at the
chamber can be safely opened and way new technology is adopted. What
exposed to air without risk of powder There are a number of commonly is of interest going forward is what
oxidation. held beliefs about PBF-EB that advantages and benefits PBF-EB
While the basic function and are either misguided or simply not might offer given what we know now.
output from the selective melting of accurate. Some of these myths and It is clear is that the AM industry
layers of metal powder is common to misconceptions derive from the fact continues to foster key misconcep-
both PBF-LB and PBF-EB, there are that PBF-EB lags significantly behind tions about PBF-EB. The existence
a number of key structural differ- PBF-LB commercially. The main of these misconceptions has been
ences between the two technologies. explanation that is offered for why an inhibiting factor to the further
Most significantly, PBF-LB requires this is so is that PBF-EB was a more development of PBF-EB. They should
a mechanical mirror deflection complicated technology in its early be put to rest if we are to realise
mechanism to scan a laser beam in a days of development. As a result, it and maximise the potential of the
vector process. In PBF-EB, the beam seems that technicians and opera- technology.
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Fig. 4 Proprietary spinal cages on a build plate, designed for and manufactured using PBF-EB. Support structures are
limited to the attaching of the parts to the build plate (Courtesy Amplify Additive)
1. PBF-EB is similar to PBF-LB 3. The surface finish of PBF-EB parts 4. PBF-EB only works with expensive
As we have already seen, about is inherently rougher than PBF-LB specialist spherical powders
the only element in common is parts, and working with fine powders As with PBF-LB, the main reason
the fusion of powder by a source is problematic why current machines need spherical
of energy. The entire basis of Rougher surface finish has been the powder is due to state of the powder
operation is different, the physics generally available outcome due to the spreading technology in use today.
is different and the outcome and configuration of machines available The reality: improvements in
performance are different as a commercially. It was observed in early mechanisms for spreading irregular
result. The reality: PBF-EB is an PBF-EB tests that finer powders were powder will also enable the use of
independent technology that should repelled away from the powder bed less expensive powders for PBF-EB in
be considered on its own merits, due to an electrostatic charge, causing the future.
without relation to PBF-LB. an effect called the ‘smoke’ problem.
This resulted in a reticence to try 5. Unusually long cooling times
2. PBF-EB only works with a smaller grain sizes. make the process uneconomical
limited range of materials, mainly The reality: there is no proven Cooling is only one step in the overall
titanium reason that PBF-EB cannot work with process chain. The reality: overall
Whilst it is true that PBF-EB is finer powders and thinner layers. production throughput is what
associated closely with titanium, The smoke problem was assumed matters and the higher build rate for
there are historical and business to exist based on early observations PBF-EB compared with PBF-LB in
reasons for this. However, there for titanium. With the precise beam most cases more than makes up for
are no technical reasons that control available today, and the ability the cooling time required.
prevent the use of PBF-EB for as to optimise beam scanning algorithms
wide a range of alloy materials as for each application, successful 6. PBF-EB can’t make the large parts
is available for PBF-LB. What is PBF-EB processing of finer powders that we see made by PBF-LB
required is the development of open and thinner layers is certainly possible. In practice, PBF-EB is generally used
platforms for testing and optimising This can lead to the smoother surface today for smaller part applications.
processes for additional materials. finish of PBF-EB parts. However, there is no proven factor
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Processing in a vacuum
The melting process is conducted in a
high vacuum, the cleanest and safest
environment possible. Additionally,
the vacuum provides thermal EBM LASER
insulation and thus contributes to Fig. 6 Energy transfer in Ti64 powder using PBF-EB (left) and laser (right)
high energy efficiency. technology (Courtesy GE Additive)
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• Cost of powder: Less expensive Experimenting with the tool and PBF-EB machines currently
for PBF-EB (for titanium) applying different scenarios to available
• Heat treatment: Much less titanium parts of various sizes and
costly for PBF-EB, if needed at quantities, the cost tool consistently There are a growing number of
all returns values in favour of PBF-EB. commercial and non-commercial
There are a number of conclu- machines on the market today. To be
• Build support removal:
sions to be drawn. The first is that considered commercial, the supplier
Generally a less complicated
PBF-EB is generally and inherently must have at least one machine
process than for PBF-LB
a less costly process than PBF-LB installed and operating in the market.
It is fair to say that, with the for a wide variety of titanium parts. Five manufacturers produce twelve
exception of support removal, the Even if the saving is often far less different models of commercial
advantages above are geometry- than the claimed 50%, in manu- machines (Table 2). In addition, four
agnostic. facturing applications even a 10% companies have announced the
Ampower also publishes an cost saving is significant. Finally, development of PBF-EB machines
online cost calculator tool that as more development is performed (Table 3).
estimates the cost of metal parts on materials and when PBF-EB
made by all the leading metal AM machine build volumes increase GE Additive Arcam EBM
processes. The tool is based on in future machines with higher GE Additive Arcam EBM is by far
extensive knowledge and analysis beam power, the cost advantage of the dominant supplier of PBF-EB
of metal AM machines by the firm. PBF-EB will only grow. machines today. It was the pioneering
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Fig. 8 An Avio Aero turbine blade made on a GE Additive Arcam PBF-EB machine and used in the GE9X engine (Courtesy
GE Additive)
force in the commercialisation of the at elevated temperatures, yet it has machines to make the parts (Fig. 9).
technology and, for many years, was only half the weight of traditional The turbine blades are deployed in
the only supplier worldwide. Founded nickel-base superalloys, which is the new GE9X jet engine that powers
in Sweden in 1997, its first commer- a significant benefit for an industry the Boeing 777X aircraft, which first
cial machine was launched in 2002. where every kilogramme of saved flew in January 2020.
The company started trading on the weight results in large cost savings The potential of TiAl materials
NASDAQ OMX Stockholm exchange over the life of the engine. for jet engine applications was one
in 2012.
In 2018, the company was acquired
by GE, which had taken a controlling
stake in Arcam in 2016. Today, the “The potential of TiAl materials for jet
company is managed as part of GE
Additive. In August 2019, the company
engine applications was one of the drivers
opened a new 15,000 m2 Centre of behind the acquisition of Arcam by GE. TiAl
Excellence in Gothenburg, Sweden
which will eventually house up to 500 is a prime example of the unique PBF-EB
employees. capabilities – this material cracks easily if
Arcam made a conscious decision
early in its development to pursue processed with PBF-LB...”
high-value applications in the medical
and aerospace sectors. Its material
selection was limited primarily to In 2019, GE Aviation announced of the drivers behind the acquisition
titanium alloys and cobalt chrome. To that it had purchased twenty-seven of Arcam by GE. TiAl is a prime
these, they added titanium aluminide Arcam machines for turbine blade example of the unique PBF-EB
(TiAl), which is primarily used to production. Avio Aero, a GE Aviation capabilities – this material cracks
produce turbine blades for jet engines group company based in Cameri, easily if processed with PBF-LB at
(Fig. 8). TiAl has the required strength Italy, now operates more than forty low temperature.
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more details on its technology, which by a powder blasting process. If, operators to stack parts free-floating
it calls NeuBeam. The ‘Neu’ stands in fact, the cake removal issue is to maximise use of the available build
for neutralise, as Wayland claims that ameliorated or avoided, it could volume. While it may be possible to
its machine completely neutralises present a productivity advantage over put in support structures by choice
the negative charging of metal powder other machines. to stabilise the build, this would
particles, which causes what is known That said, powder cake removal is eliminate an advantage that PBF-EB
as the ‘smoke’ effect. a mature process that has become has over PBF-LB on the issue of
support removal.
It remains to be seen how
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developed two test-bed machines. machines that have led the race until Author
The second test-bed, set up in 2018, is now. We can expect many positive
equipped with a 10 kW electron beam, developments in PBF-EB.
Joseph Kowen is an industry analyst
the most powerful yet seen. What is certain is that the industry
and consultant who has been involved
owes Arcam EBM and its investors
in rapid prototyping and Additive
Wipro3D a debt of gratitude for its grit and
Manufacturing since 1999. He is a
Wipro3D announced the joint perseverance in bringing PBF-EB to
principal of Intelligent AM, a consul-
development of an PBF-EB machine market and leading its advancement
tancy on Additive Manufacturing
together with the Indian Institute of so far. New participants, standing as
serving the business and financial
Science in December 2019. No further they do on the shoulders of those that
communities.
information about the machine and its went before them, are now joining in
configuration is known at this stage. and helping to take PBF-EB into the
Joseph Kowen
next phase of its development. The
Intelligent AM
Ruselectronics underpinnings for this renewed and
Tel: +972 54 531 1547
Ruselectronics is a Russian holding growing interest in electron beam
Joseph.Kowen@intelligent-AM.com
company that is developing an for AM are interesting physics, good
www.intelligent-AM.com
PBF-EB machine. The development metallurgy and – most importantly
work will be performed by Toriy – attractive economics compared to
Scientific Production Association. No laser-based machines. References
further information has been made New advancements in PBF-EB
public about the project at this stage. over the past five years have eclipsed
[1] Ampower Report, www.additive-
all of the accumulated developments
manufacturing-report.com/additive-
in the previous twenty years. That is
What does this all mean and manufacturing-market/#001
the way of technological evolution in
where is PBF-EB heading? many cases; it is not always a straight
[2] Wohlers Report 2020, www.
wohlersassociates.com
line of growth. A segment that was
Compared to other AM processes, led for so many years by a single [3] www.ge.com/additive/download-
PBF-EB has gotten off to a slow start. dominant player is transforming into ebmwhitepaper
However, the marathon that is the an inquisitive, robust and resourceful
broader industrialisation of AM is marketplace of innovation and new
far from over. For a start, there will ideas.
never be a single winning technology, Whichever way we choose to view
inasmuch as there is not a single and describe the latest developments
application for AM technology. That in PBF-EB, it is undeniably an
said, in the relative positioning of the interesting time for electron beam
Powder Bed Fusion technologies, we technology in AM. We shall continue
see a surge in the interest and devel- to watch the next stage in the
opment of electron beam technology marathon with eager anticipation. The
as an alternative to the laser-based industry has a long way yet to run.
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DINOS FREELY SHARE EXPERIENCE
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AMUG Announces DINOs (Distinguished INnovator Operators) gathered at the 2019 AMUG Conference
Visit www.amug.com/dino/ for more information
2020 AMUG DINOs
Visit www.amug.com
to watch the
2020 DINO
Awards Ceremony
Sweden is famed for many fine This changed in 2017 with the its development, to grow its team
things; summerhouses, long foundation of Freemelt AB. The and expand its offering to the metal
summer evenings, plenty of crayfish, company now numbers seventeen AM machine market. This same
and, of course, electron beam-based employees and launched its first venture capital fund was, of course,
Additive Manufacturing. The city PBF-EB machine, the Freemelt ONE, an early investor in Arcam AB.
of Göteborg has for decades been in early 2019. In September 2019, Commenting on the mission
at the heart of all things related to in a funding round led by Swedish behind Freemelt’s establishment,
Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion venture capital fund Industrifonden, Ulf Ackelid, Senior Scientist,
(PBF-EB). The founders of Freemelt the company raised €1.4 million for explained that its co-founders
AB, Ulric Ljungblad and Ulf Ackelid,
are a key part of this story, together
accumulating more than twenty
years of service at PBF-EB pioneer
Arcam AB, now part of GE Additive.
During this period, they are credited
as the inventors of more than 30%
of all the patents assigned to the
company.
As is often the way with such
innovative technologies, clusters
of companies are formed as
employees leave the first company
and start their own firms, perhaps
leveraging niche opportunities,
focusing on materials development
or even exploiting the technology
as end-users. With PBF-EB such a
cluster failed to materialise and as a
result, the wider growth of PBF-EB Fig. 1 View into the Freemelt ONE Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion system’s
applications stalled. build chamber (Courtesy Freemelt AB)
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Fig. 5 Observing hot processing in the Freemelt ONE (Courtesy Freemelt AB)
magnetic coils acting together. The advantages and forget the metallurgy,” Ljungblad
This is made possible by the adds. “The purity of 3D printing in
weaknesses of PBF-EB
company’s in-house developed vacuum results in the highest quality
Field Construct software, which material. Nobody can deny that a
leverages computing power rather Asked what he considered the main good vacuum is orders of magnitude
than complex hardware. The result strengths of PBF-EB, Ljungblad cleaner than the most purified inert
is faster positioning of the electron explained, “The main advantage is gas available.”
beam to the right place at the the high beam power achievable In terms of PBF-EB’s weak-
right time. An advanced trigger with electron beams and vacuum nesses, Ljungblad believes that
and data acquisition system is processing. These unique features many of the perceived weaknesses
integrated with the beam control enable high-temperature processing are in fact, misconceptions. “Avoiding
data path. This data acquisition that avoids the need for heat treat- them is just a question of resources
system records high-rate sample ment of parts and support structures, and development,” he noted. For
data from sensors in Freemelt ONE in many cases.” Moreover, he example, Freemelt believes that
where the trigger system is used to explained that these features enable the surface finish of PBF-EB
synchronise sampled data with the the processing of a wide range of parts could be greatly improved if
melt process. high-value materials which it would processes were developed to that
The first Freemelt ONE was be impossible to process by any end. As an example, Fig. 6 shows
installed in March 2019 at Friedrich- other AM technology, including the two geometries in 316L stainless
Alexander-Universität, Erlangen- competing PBF-LB. steel, one built with 15–53 μm
Nürnberg, Germany, and systems These advantages, alongside powder and 30 μm layers (left) and
have since been delivered to several the fast build rate made possible one built with 53–150 μm powder
locations in Europe, the most by high beam power and virtually and 100 μm layers. Both builds ran
recent in May 2020 to the Chair for instantaneous beam positioning, are smoothly without smoke events or
Hybrid Additive Manufacturing at key factors in the microstructure other issues. As can be expected, the
Ruhr-Universität Bochum, also in control, productivity and versatility fine powder and thinner layers give
Germany. of the technology. “We should not a notably better surface finish. “That
136 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 137
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
17 n y
– 19 ma
Nov G e r
embe me n ,
r 2020 Bre
FREE TO ATTEND
o.eu i n f o @ s pa
t e c hexp cete
e che
.s pa c xpo
w ww exhibitors include: .eu
138 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Bugatti: In pursuit of perfection
In pursuit of perfection:
A case study on how Bugatti
and APWORKS leverage the full
potential of AM
It is far too easy to overuse superlatives when speaking about hypercars or
Additive Manufacturing. When the discussion combines both – Bugatti’s new
driver-focused Chiron Pur Sport and a high-performance AM component that
truly pushes today’s processes to their limits – the result is worthy of a closer
look. In the following in-depth case study, Bugatti and APWORKS explain
the requirements, development and production of the Chiron Pur Sport’s
exhaust finisher and share insight into some of its hidden details, from lattice
structures to nature-inspired honeycomb reinforcements.
France’s Bugatti Automobiles road use. At approximately 22 cm tive technology, too,” stated Stephan
S.A.S., famous for its ultra-high long, 48 cm wide and 13 cm high, Winkelmann, President of Bugatti.
performance hypercars, was one of the finisher weighs just 1.85 kg “In addition to the iconic 8 litre
the early adopters of metal Additive including grille and bracket – some 16-cylinder engine with 1,500 HP,
Manufacturing in the automotive 1.2 kg less than the finisher on a technical innovation is just as much
sector. The company has developed standard Chiron. part of our brand essence – such as
numerous components using “Bugatti is all about French-style our components made of titanium or
Additive Manufacturing, many in luxury and exceptional vehicles, but a special alloy that are produced by
partnership with APWORKS GmbH, it’s a brand that stands for innova- 3D printing.”
Taufkirchen, Germany. One compo-
nent type that Bugatti has gained
significant experience of developing
by Additive Manufacturing is the
high-performance exhaust finisher.
These have been fitted to a number
of cars in the Chiron range since
2018, including the Chiron Sport, the
La Voiture Noire, the Grand Tourisme
and the Centodieci.
Most recently, a metal additively
manufactured exhaust finisher was
developed and manufactured by
APWORKS for the newly developed
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport. With this
application, Bugatti has become
the first company in the automotive
industry to use Additive Manufac-
turing to produce exposed titanium Fig. 1 The Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport was developed with a focus on driving
exhaust finishers for series produc- dynamics, with metal Additive Manufacturing contributing to weight savings
tion that are officially approved for and improved aerodynamics (Courtesy Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.)
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 139
Bugatti: In pursuit of perfection | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Fig. 2 The lightweight and temperature-resistant additively manufactured exhaust tailpipe finishers produced by
APWORKS (Courtesy Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.)
Saving weight through AM tear if made using other techniques where it really mattered. The exhaust
such as forging or forming.” This is an tailpipe is just one part of the
where it matters
ideal production method for Bugatti: complex rear design of the Chiron
lightweighting can be at the heart Pur Sport, which has a new aerody-
The impressive 39% weight reduction of a design, there are no tool costs, namic configuration that generates
achieved on the finisher of the Chiron production is comparatively fast and more downforce, while reduced
Pur Sport is thanks to an innovative individual adjustments to the design overall vehicle weight contributes to
but highly challenging Additive are easily possible. Complex organic the car’s increased agility.
Manufacturing-enabled design. Nils geometries can also be developed, “By cutting weight by 50 kg,
Weimann, Head of Body Development often inspired by the natural world, as while simultaneously boosting
the downforce and configuring an
uncompromising, sporty chassis
“This is an ideal production method for and suspension setup, the Chiron
Pur Sport boasts incredible grip,
Bugatti: lightweighting can be at the sensational acceleration and
heart of a design, there are no tool costs, extraordinarily accurate handling. It’s
the most uncompromising yet agile
production is comparatively fast and Bugatti of recent times,” explained
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Bugatti: In pursuit of perfection | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Fig. 4 The nature-inspired honeycomb pattern applied in Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport exhaust finisher acts as a stabilising
feature for the thin walls (Courtesy Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.)
project with complex requirements qualification, a supplier proves that actual serial production to represent
such as the exhaust finisher, system every defined requirement is not the later certified status of a final
build size and speed are crucial. In only met, but also validated through part.
this case, production takes place on testing, and certified by independent Once qualified, it was time to
an EOS M 400-4, a four laser Powder testing institutions where necessary. take the part to serial production.
Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) system that Qualifications such as these usually Joachim Zettler, Managing Director
offers a high level of productivity. cover areas such as whether a part of APWORKS, stated, “We are proud
meets dimensional tolerances, and to be part of this impressive new
requirements like heat resistance, hypercar development by Bugatti.
The twin challenges corrosion resistance and insensitivity It is the first visible 3D printed
of qualification and against abrasion. In this case, part out of titanium receiving road
homologation the surface and heat resistance homologation. We could only realise
properties of the part needed to be this innovative tailpipe by pushing
This application is a rather unique tested and confirmed by independent Additive Manufacturing technology to
example of a fully optimised certified testing laboratories working the limit. Smallest wall thickness of
high-performance part enabled by within Volkswagen Group standards. below 0.5 mm enable the extremely
Additive Manufacturing that fulfills As part of the serial production lightweight design.”
both the highest quality standards qualifications within an automotive
for road use, as well as homologa- OEM environment, a special process
tion – the approval process a named ‘sampling’, similar to FAI The serial Additive
vehicle is required to go through for or PPAP, was executed. In this Manufacturing workflow
certification to race in a given league procedure, new or changed parts
or series. need to be inspected with regards The exhaust finisher’s design truly
For this to be achieved, before to all requirements communicated tested the limits of what is possible
entering serial production a major either by the technical drawing or using AM, and in particular what
quality management process valid OEM-specific standards. These parts it is possible to serially produce.
had to be undertaken in the form inspections were conducted with To manufacture a high-quality part
of qualification. In undergoing a sample part prior to beginning requires several software- and
142 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Bugatti: In pursuit of perfection
Fig. 5 Rear view of the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport showing the additively manufactured titanium exhaust finisher
(Courtesy Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.)
hardware-based tools, as well as for failure mode analysis – all of which parameters such as laser power and
the production steps to be planned are covered under the concept of scanning speed must be optimised
and executed so that they fit together Design for AM (DfAM). for the exacting requirements of
perfectly in an effective workflow. Once the geometry was fixed highly-loaded parts, and need to be
After the part’s design was and the design could be released expertly adapted to achieve thin wall
released by Bugatti, APWORKS’ to APWORKS, AM data preparation and lattice features such as those
engineers commenced the work to began. This process includes utilised in the exhaust finisher. This
process ends at the point of the
machine interface, where the part
data is finally transferred from design
“Machine parameters such as laser power software to Additive Manufacturing
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144 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Bugatti: In pursuit of perfection
Fig. 8 This Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ broke the 300 mph barrier with AM exhaust finishers produced by APWORKS
(Courtesy Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.)
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146 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Operational Excellence in metal AM
Metal Additive Manufacturing finds by competitors. However, unlike In this article, we will explain why
itself between a rock and a hard traditional manufacturing, deter- this dynamic in particular hinders
place: on the one hand, the pricing of mining the correct pricing strategy the growth of the metal AM industry,
AM services comes down to machine for metal AM is complex and why it’s in our collective interest to
productivity, based on a company’s inconsistent between projects. With address it, and how to double the
go-to-market strategy; on the other, time, manufacturers find them- revenues from these systems without
we need to consider the competitive selves with losses of over 50% of additional capital investments.
landscape of the industry and how their manufacturing capacity, and
the pricing of services is influenced that is not good for the industry.
How did we get to this
point?
300
280
260
manufacturing, machines could not
240
220 be digitally programmed, therefore
200
180 we needed to analyse the contribu-
160
140 tion of machine utilisation through a
120
100 Machine Hourly Rate (MHR) serving
80
60
40
as a proxy for productivity.
20
0
This was effective: since
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
traditional system productivity is
Projects Production Dashboard high, variations between jobs are
insignificant and the margins are
considerable. With that simplifica-
tion, the most important aspect of
Fig. 1 An analysis of metal AM wastes and inefficiency can improve machine utilisation is considered
performance to an extent that was previously impossible by determining system uptime.
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148 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Operational Excellence in metal AM
matters 7 8% Operating
income
Asset
$6M Turnover
Parameters
When using AMI, we have discov- 9 0% Ratio
1.4
ered that typical metal AM system Total assets
$4M
efficiency is operating at a range Parts
9 3%
of between 35–45% (Fig. 2). This
means that productivity across the
industry can be doubled by simply
Fig. 3 DuPont analysis of a facility with seven metal AM systems utilising
utilising the available systems
Inconel 718
more effectively. At these rates, as
determined by a DuPont analysis,
manufacturers are at the limits of
profitability with an ROI of 1–2%
per year when system efficiency ROI
is between 35–40% (Fig. 3a).
Furthermore, with every increase 28%
in average AMI of 10%, the ROI
improves by 6% (Fig. 3b). With 14%
a granulated analysis and help
from our efficiency metrics, we
can determine which applications, 0% AMI
materials and machines are profit- 35% 60% 85%
able, adjust the pricing strategy,
and utilise data to drive corrective Fig. 4 AMI and ROI growth correlation for seven metal AM systems utilising
actions. Inconel 718
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 149
Operational Excellence in metal AM | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
1 laser systems (12 cm3/h build rate) 4 laser systems (50 cm3/h build rate)
60% 52%
17% Heat treatment
~$500K 22% ~$1,500-
Machine costs 2,000K
4%
2%
Fig. 5 Process step breakdown in CPP for single (left) and quad (right) laser PBF-LB metal AM machines
From the end-user perspective, but there is invisible waste that is a quick analysis reveals that the
the most important factor is the difficult to determine in a production parameters used were only 80%
CPP, which is disproportionately environment. At Magnitude, we break efficient, meaning that the build
dependent on system amortisation. down the wastes from a production required thirty hours, but could
We observe that approximately into four interconnected categories: actually have been completed in
half the CPP is due to this factor • System downtime: Planning twenty-four hours (Fig. 6b). From
alone, excluding quality control metric this, we realise the true AMI is
(QC) measures (Fig. 5). This means actually 68 x 80 x 100 = 54%. If,
• Parameter inefficiency: Param-
that the resultant CPP is mostly on the other hand, we would have
eters metric
affected by a lack of machine optimised the parameters, we could
• Rejected parts: Parts metric
efficiency, which can be either have shortened the build time by
offset by cheaper machines or • Breakdowns: A combination of two hours, which would have been
higher productivity. In comparison to system downtime and rejected enough to start another project on
powder costs, the price sensitivity of parts Tuesday afternoon and not wait until
individual parts is 2.5x more affected With this segmentation, we can Wednesday morning (Fig. 6c). This
by machine utilisation. Considering effectively see how these losses are would have improved the Planning
that machines are utilised at an AMI interconnected through a typical and Parameters metric to 100% and
of 40%, the CPP can be reduced example: 85%, resulting in an AMI of 85%.
by 25% from efficiency gains in A machine is running a project In the end, we have three
comparison with savings of 2–4% that is thirty hours long. The machine efficiency values: the perception is
based on cheaper powder, not starts at 12:00 PM on Monday and that the system for this project is
including the fact that new powder continues until 6:00 PM on Tuesday. running at 68% efficiency, and there
sources have to undergo costly The shift in the factory comes to an was nothing we could have done to
validation tests and are available to end on Tuesday and the machine is optimise the production. In fact, the
everyone, therefore failing to deliver not running from 6:00 PM Tuesday system is running at 54% efficiency
any competitive advantage. until 8:00 AM on Wednesday. At and we could have saved six hours
this point, the approach is typically of production time. Finally, if we
either “we can’t do anything about optimised our scheduling as well
Known unknowns: Invisible it, let’s wait until the next day,” or as the parameters, the nominal
production wastes someone has to stay late at nights build would have resulted in an
to start the next production. This efficiency of 85%, and no member
As previously mentioned, the results in a downtime reflected by of the group would need to work
efficiency of AM machines is not a Planning metric of 68% (Fig. 6a). overtime. These kinds of losses are
easy to determine. Not only is Assuming that the parameters and what we call ‘invisible wastes’, and
each project different, making parts efficiency is perfect, the AMI occur on a daily basis in metal AM.
the calculations time-consuming, is 68 x 100 x 100 = 68%. However, In this case, this is an invisible waste
150 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Operational Excellence in metal AM
12 PM 6 PM 8 AM
0 30
24
hours
Monday Tuesday Wednesday
that only appears when we analyse durations mean higher revenue, but and the end-user does not need to
the Planning in conjunction with the a lack of metrics does not reveal spend additional resources on quali-
Parameters metric of the job. lower profit margins. fying the 60 µm process. However,
More importantly for the For an example, we need to go no the resultant parameter efficiency is
organisation, these wastes suffer further than to expand on a theo- merely 45%, revealing that revenue
from poor metrics that appear to retical serial production. Let us say is decoupled from the profitability of
show that everything is optimised, that a 30 µm layer titanium process the project in a significant way.
nothing can be done and the system parameter has been qualified and Assuming the Planning and Parts
efficiency is reflected within the selected for our production. If built metrics are perfect, we observe
pricing strategy. Unfortunately, in 60 µm, the parameters could that the highest AMI achievable is
since we have not properly quanti- build the geometry in eighteen hours 45% and the opportunity cost is
fied these losses, it is impossible
to address them in the company
strategy or operations.
“...we incur invisible losses every time a
Invisible losses in process ‘qualified’ process is being utilised... This
speed is inherently what the end-user has to pay
On a commercial level, we incur
for in terms of their components. What
invisible losses every time a we do not see in such an instance are
‘qualified’ process is utilised. For
technical reasons beyond the scope the inherent efficiency losses in terms of
of this article, when a project is built
with slower-than-possible param-
opportunity cost.”
eters, users tend to notice a jump in
build time that results in additional when optimised and twenty-two over 50% of the machine capacity.
manufacturing hours. This is inher- hours with ‘default’ manufacturer Extrapolating this for an entire
ently what the end-user has to pay parameters with no effect on final year’s worth of production, we can
for in terms of their components. part quality. With the 30 µm qualified safely deduce that the best-case
What we do not see in such an parameters, this job is built in forty scenario AMI will be 45%, resulting
instance are the inherent efficiency hours. On the face of it, it would in enormous underutilisation. As
losses in terms of opportunity appear that it is a win-win situation you can imagine, this problem
cost. What this also shows is that for both the supplier and end-user; is further compounded when we
manufacturer and end-user goals the manufacturer is now able to utilise these systems in a variable
are at first glance conflicting: longer charge for more machine utilisation production.
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Operational Excellence in metal AM | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Typically in these situations, we machine downtime or parameter These guiding principles need to
observe that manufacturers tend inefficiency. Without holistic metrics, be written in a simple structure
to keep busy in order to fully utilise these wastes are ignored and not that encompasses every produc-
machine uptime without defining accounted for in terms of overall tion variability so that the whole
what their organisation represents. production efficiency. organisation can participate. As
In the early stages of learning The approach with rejection waste organisations define this structure,
by doing, this is understandable. is similar to downtime and parameter they tend to struggle with conveying
However, as organisational experi- inefficiencies, in that we compare to individuals the process because
ence and competence mature, these the losses from rejected parts and of gaps in terms of metrics as well
projects should be scaled down try to strike a balance with other as specific problems that arise. If
and a manufacturing specialisation metrics. Slowing down the process is individuals feel that their concerns
developed. Suppliers at this stage typically effective in reducing these are not included in the corrective
have a difficult, but absolutely rejections and leads to better overall strategy discussion, the acceptance
necessary need to change their AMI. After all, if a system is running of such practices is mostly ignored,
mindset, either by charging for the at maximum capacity, but the output at which point the only solution
lost opportunity cost to make up for is of no value to the end-user, it is is non-flexible rules within the
100% system efficiency in the short the same thing as not manufacturing manufacturing process. This results
term, by improving the CPP through anything in the first place. What in additional invisible losses.
cheaper systems and part redesign, needs to be considered here are the What we propose to a general
or by simply refusing such business two major reasons for these losses: problem-solving schematic is to
in order to focus on a more profitable first rejections are a result of the divide all of the issues in production
niche. steep learning curve in utilising this into three categories and then
technology, while the remainder of systematically solve them. Through
rejections are related to process this approach and with metrics that
Invisible output losses limitations connected with specific keep track of all process shortcom-
geometries, materials and machines. ings, we can convey to individuals
The final invisible waste category the importance of their tasks in the
that we continuously notice with larger picture of the value chain.
customers is the challenge in How do we systematise our To begin with, organisations
identifying the opportunity cost work? need to be open about their
related to machine output. Every approach and goals. With goals,
time a part or batch is rejected due Coming back to the bigger picture, we refer to the simple focus of
to non-conformities, these losses companies are missing a systematic output, profitability and strategy
are not quantified, since scrap rates approach to solving these problems and their alignment with
are difficult to track in a variable within their organisational structure. individual incentives. If these are
production. Because AM offers the To address this, they need to communicated correctly, team
ability to customise every product, convey to individual team members members will be forthcoming with
we see that rejected product costs the quality that their production issues in production, because it
are difficult to compare with the true represents and have a systematic will eliminate the ‘us vs them’
costs of other efficiency losses like approach to solving these issues. mentality in an organisation. If
152 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Operational Excellence in metal AM
done incorrectly, this appears on the services rendered. Going forward, Even though this first level
shop floor as a competition between we need to keep track of the optimisation can be performed
individual production steps, which overall performance as we move manually, only automated solutions
leads to a dynamic of blaming others through this exercise by tracking such as Uptimo can deliver a holistic
for shortcomings without ensuring improvements and exchanging on approach to loss reduction. With
overall team success. best practices observed. Uptimo, we can quantify all of the
Next, the corrective actions In illuminating these invisible losses in production and execute
need to be prioritised in order wastes, AM performance can be and track the impact of corrective
of significance to the whole improved to an extent that was not actions in order to ensure the highest
organisation. This involves holding previously possible. With metrics possible efficiency gains over time.
Additionally, Uptimo does not lead
to lost time on the manual effort
“In illuminating these invisible wastes, AM required to determine true efficiency
losses as well as the coordination of
performance can be improved to an extent corrective actions. In comparison with
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154 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Laser beam testing for AM mass production
Is Additive Manufacturing ready for operation? To answer this question, consists of a 2-axis galvanometric
mass-production? The answer really one must take a closer look into scan head and a focusing F-Theta
boils down to reproducibility. When the function and construction of lens. For the 3-axis systems (Fig. 1,
it comes to Laser Beam Powder laser-based AM systems. right), the F-Theta lens is replaced
Bed Fusion (PBF-LB), the constancy Most PBF-LB metal AM by another beam expander built
of the laser parameters is of great machines have a number of beam from three lens elements with
importance. Both AM machine delivery components in common. two fixed and one moving lens,
manufacturers and machine users Starting at the fibre laser source changing the focal distance of
need to be aware of the quality of with the beam delivery fibre and the entire assembly as needed
the focused beam that they are beam expansion optics, either a when the beam is steered over
using. So, is it possible to test this 2-axis or a 3-axis system follows. the working plane, using again an
quickly and cost-effectively during The 2-axis system (Fig. 1, left) X-Y-galvanometric scanning head.
Scanner Beam expansion Laser source Scanner 3rd axis Laser source
f-Theta Lens
Measurement Measurement
points points
Fig. 1 Left, the structure of a 2-axis galvanometric system; right, a 3-axis galvanometric system. Measurements between
the components provides information about their performance
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156 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
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How to define a Fig. 3 The size of the laser beam changes the power density by a factor of 4
measurement strategy
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Laser beam testing for AM mass production | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Ophir BeamWatch AM
The fourth alternative to measure
the laser beam within the working
chamber is by using a non-contact
measurement technology based on
Rayleigh scattering of the laser beam.
This technology was developed by
Ophir and further enhanced for use
in Additive Manufacturing systems
such as the Ophir BeamWatch
AM measurement device (Fig. 6).
The lightweight, compact system
measures beam position and angle
of incidence, focal spot size, position
and quality parameters such as
M² and beam caustic in real-time.
These measurements allow users
Fig. 4 Measurements taken with PPS sensors can provide first indications of to easily determine when the beam
the status of a laser-based system is aligned and in focus, providing
more consistent material behaviour.
Measurements can be displayed in
equipment is relatively expensive to the peripheral areas of the building tabular, 2D or 3D views, providing a
purchase and to maintain and slow plane – in terms of both power and quick and realistic display of laser
to take measurements, the use of beam position. characteristics. The advantages of
this technology is not very practical in non-contact laser beam measure-
production environments. Ophir LBS-300 HP-NIR beam profiler ment are particularly important at
Secondly, there are quadrant Recently, a third option for measuring higher power densities of more than
sensors or power position sensors the high-power beams used in 2 MW/ cm2, as currently required in
(PPS), which measure not only the PBF-LB has emerged. Thanks to a PBF-LB. Because the instrument can
power but also the position and size of newly developed beam attenuation record power of up to 1 kW for as long
the laser beam, going a step further technology, it is now possible to use as two minutes without needing active
than conventional power gauges. They a lower-cost CCD beam profiler (a cooling, it can be used in R&D as
are used to adjust the beam delivery, well-known, low-power technology) well as in production and service. The
as well inside the build chamber. to measure the laser beam in the comparability of the measurement
When the sensor is positioned working chamber. This approach can results, which plays such a crucial
centrally and moved vertically, the be seen in the new Ophir LBS-300 role for manufacturers, is guaranteed
beam position should not show HP-NIR (Fig. 5), a beam attenuation at all times.
any movement. Any change in the system designed for focused spot When designing Ophir BeamWatch
measured beam position indicates beam analysers that combines dual AM, an important factor for Ophir
an offset in the deflection head or a sampling optics and neutral density was its ease of use. The non-contact
misalignment in the beam path. To a filters for beam attenuation before measurement technology, on the one
certain extent, this sensor technology the focused spot reaches the camera. hand, guarantees that there is no
can also be used to determine the This innovative beam splitter is wear and tear as the beam does not
accuracy of the beam adjustment in designed for high-power lasers and affect the device. On the other hand,
158 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Laser beam testing for AM mass production
Conclusion
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| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
PM CHINA 2020
The 13th Shanghai International Powder Metallurgy Exhibition & Conference
Convergence of
Cutting-edge Technology &
Products
Organizer
160 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Link 3D’s AM Maturity Model
The Additive Manufacturing industry Maturity Model’. Within this model, as incremental growth, leapfrogging or
has started to fulfil its promise and organisations mature their processes, starting from zero. It is important for
many of the world’s largest economies production efficiencies are expected as businesses to navigate the risks that
are taking notice. The 21.2% growth of they transition through defined stages; all change poses and manage them
the overall industry in 2019 (estimated these being named reactive, informed, to ensure success by minimising
to be worth $11.867 billion) is foun- managed, automated and predictive. overhead costs, eliminating poor data
dational proof of its momentum [1]. They can choose various paths to management and gaining leadership
However, investing in new tech- mature their processes, including and employee buy-in.
nologies is always risky, and Additive
Manufacturing is no exception to the
rule.
Over the last two years, Link3D has More machines
conducted a study of 253 companies
across the aerospace, automotive,
consumer, defence, medical and More capital
other industrial sectors to better invested
understand the risks of scaling up
industrial AM production environ- More
More
ments. Headquartered in Boulder, More end-use
prototypes
Colorado, USA, Link3D’s Additive MES materials parts
workflow software is designed to
help organisations scale their digital
More design
& engineers
manufacturing strategy and applies
modern technologies, such as the
Internet of Things (IoT), workflow
automation and machine learning, to
enable manufacturers to unlock the
benefits of Industry 4.0. More applications
Using the results of a two-year
study, we have developed a framework Fig. 1 An illustration of the ‘virtuous cycle’ of AM, a recurring cycle of events in
known as the ‘Additive Manufacturing which the result of each one is to increase the beneficial effect of the next
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 161
Link 3D’s AM Maturity Model | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Conservatives
THE CHASM
Visionaries
Sceptics
Tech enthusiasts
Fig. 2 AM has progressed from its early market of innovators and early adopters, through the chasm into the mainstream
market
In this article, we will consider This virtuous cycle has meant that innovators and early adopters are the
how Fortune 500 organisations, Additive Manufacturing technologies target market, through the ‘chasm’
contract manufacturers and service have rapidly matured and will only and into the mainstream market
bureaux can overcome risks to continue to be improved upon in (Fig. 2). Innovators set the founda-
enable a sustainable business model the future, as the loop reinforces tion for AM and now its adoption
and ensure business continuity. itself. In summary, innovation within is becoming mainstream across a
materials, AM machines and a host variety of industries.
AM is enabling new
technologies in a cyclical “This virtuous cycle has meant that
‘virtuous cycle’
Additive Manufacturing technologies
The Additive Manufacturing industry have rapidly matured and will only
has now entered the ‘virtuous cycle’,
a recurring cycle of events, the
continue to be improved upon in the
result of each one being to increase future, as the loop reinforces itself.”
the beneficial effect of the next –
literally, the opposite of a ‘vicious
cycle’ (Fig. 1). In the virtuous cycle, of post-processing and downstream Currently, the majority of organisa-
the more engineers that design technologies showcases the capabili- tions are either in the discovery,
products, the more applications ties and processes that are constantly building or scaling stage of their
there are. The more applications evolving. AM journey. As the demand for AM
there are, the broader the AM As many of us already know, AM services such as the production
material selection becomes. Thanks is no longer just for tech enthusiasts of prototyping, tooling, jigs and
to this cycle, we are starting to see and visionaries. Use cases for AM fixtures and serial parts, grows,
new generations of machines with have, in recent years, extended well these organisations are naturally
broader material capabilities, larger beyond R&D and prototyping as under pressure to standardise their
build volumes and serial production organisations have begun to utilise workflows to deliver repeatable,
build times and quality. These the technology for series production timely and consistent results. We see
advancements are now pushing with previous success under their AM continuing on a positive trajectory,
the downstream technologies into belts. The virtuous cycle has pushed as organisations are strategising and
a virtuous cycle to complete the the industry beyond the narrow but creating their five to ten-year digital
manufacturing process. necessary adoption window in which manufacturing plans and building
162 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Link 3D’s AM Maturity Model
PREDICTIVE
AUTOMATED
MANAGED Automating
Automating process improve-
INFORMED
standards and ments and
REACTIVE Implementing
processing implementing
Implementing standardised
feedback from an analytical
measurements processes and
Trailing different framework for a
measuring KPI. a unified data
procedures and and improving on
model. coupled-model
learning from lessons learned.
approach.
missteps.
MATURITY
Fig. 3 As organisations mature their processes, greater production efficiencies are expected as they transition from the
reactive to the informed, managed, automated and predictive stages
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 163
Link 3D’s AM Maturity Model | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
PREDICTIVE
AUTOMATED
MANAGED Automating
Automating process improve-
INFORMED
standards and ments and
REACTIVE Implementing
processing implementing
Implementing standardised
feedback from an analytical
measurements processes and
Trailing different framework for a
measuring KPI. a unified data
procedures and and improving on
model. coupled-model
learning from lessons learned.
approach.
missteps.
MATURITY
Fig. 4 Organisations in the managed stage have made a sizable investment in infrastructure, people and technology, but
are stuck at a ‘brick wall’ which limits a unified data layer and blocks the ability to move into an automated stage
Reactive stage business model. They may have and technology required for AM
Organisations in the reactive stage started identifying ways to include adoption. However, they are stuck at
are just beginning to dabble in AM. AM in their operational and financial a ‘brick wall’ with analogue and point
Typically, they are evaluating the host plans, but are usually struggling with solutions. This wall inherently limits
of technology options available and the growing complexity driven by the a unified data layer and ultimately
comparing them to opportunities they manual work and volume of data AM blocks the ability to move into an
have identified for best fit. Organisa- involves. automated stage (Fig. 4).
tions within the reactive stage tend As the AM industry is complex,
to be focused on R&D, and possibly fast-paced and constantly evolving, Automated stage
low-volume production, and are organisations at the informed stage Moving into the automated stage is
starting to envision new possibilities risk remaining stagnant, as they may the foundational first step organisa-
based on their successes. miss new market opportunities and tions must take in order to start their
When organisations are in the become obsolete. true digital manufacturing journey.
reactive stage, they are just beginning This transition is only possible with
their journey and there tend to be Managed stage the adoption of a unified data model
fewer strategic decisions inclusive When organisations operate in the powering a true end-to-end solution.
of capacity, facilities, verticals and managed stage, they tend to have Organisational alignment across
technology integration. Ultimately, high human capital with manual key stakeholders regarding a digital
the risk of living in the reactive stage workflows. As demand has increased, manufacturing strategy enables
is the inability to create strategic new or previously adopted siloed best-in-class integration into a
vision around the potential future, as solutions present additional risks as central operating system.
organisations are acting in response systems are disconnected, leaving Any internal misalignment of
to rather than creating or controlling room for human error, loss of data change management presents risks,
situations. This becomes a limiting and challenges to meet stringent as an organisation may attempt to
factor for organisations as they find customer quality requirements. By build a solution in-house without
strategic opportunities to leverage the remaining in the managed stage, viable long-term expertise, or adopt
technology through their R&D efforts. organisations’ future growth and an unfit solution, leading to failure.
profitability is limited.
Informed stage We have observed that organisa- Predictive stage
Through lessons learned in the tions in the managed stage tend to Forward-thinking organisations in
reactive stage, organisations in the be past the point of no return, with the predictive stage are taking AM
informed stage have begun identifying a sizeable investment having been a step further by incorporating data
strategic uses for AM within their made in the infrastructure, people analytics into their processes. At
164 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Link 3D’s AM Maturity Model
this predictive stage of AM adoption, Instead of introducing lean prac- manufacturing strategy earlier in the
teams are performing the same func- tices for validating new technologies AM journey to ensure sustainable
tions as they did during the automated with manual workflows, organisa- business growth as they expand their
stage (mitigating friction points tions following the ‘zero to one’ path AM capabilities.
and delivering design optimisation will often develop a holistic business The digital revolution is still in its
insights), but are doing so in ways that plan that takes into account facility early stages, but is clearly starting to
both enable and drive their profitable requirements, headcount, AM take shape. This year, the strain put
expansion of Additive Manufacturing. technologies (machines, materials, on global supply chains by the coro-
Moreover, data-centric teams have auxiliary equipment) and software navirus (COVID-19) has offered yet
the power to deliver insights when (CAD, build prep software, workflow another example of why organisations
and where they are likely to be most automation software). By prioritising must prioritise agility and resilience
impactful. the implementation of an end-to- when it comes to their supply chains.
Establishing the foundation end digital manufacturing solution, Digital connectivity among designers,
of your AM strategy is inherently they can lay an infrastructure engineers, managers, technicians and
important, as this is the foundation foundation which is able to scale physical industrial assets will unlock
that the digital thread is built upon. as AM plant operations and supply enormous value and has the potential
If the correct data model was not chains mature. to change the manufacturing
established in previous stages, the landscape forever.
predictive outcomes that are guiding Leapfrog
your organisation’s key decisions can Not all organisations have the
be misleading. opportunity to jump from zero to Contact
one; however, they can ‘leapfrog’
towards the automated or predic- Shane Fox
Sustainable paths to scale tive stage. During the reactive CEO
and informed stage, they are not Link3D
Incremental growth inundated with order requests and 2765 Dagny Way Suite #200
Organisations lacking financial so, at this time, can allocate time Lafayette
and human resources often opt for and resources to introduce the scal- Boulder
incremental growth to mature their able workflow automation software Colorado 80026
processes. When it is no longer that can enable them to scale their USA
sustainable to continue operating AM production. shane@link3d.co
effectively, standardising processes www.link3d.co
and introducing small-scale tech-
nologies can incrementally improve Conclusion
operations from one stage of AM References
maturity to the next. Trends for AM growth across
However, such organisations organisations include an increased [1] ‘Additive Manufacturing Industry
are often challenged by a lack of number of developed applica- Grows To Almost $12 Billion In 2019’,
human resources. As operations tions for AM and increased AM May 8, 2020, Forbes www.forbes.
are lean, dedicating employees to literacy, driving production and com/sites/tjmccue/2020/05/08/
discover, evaluate and implement new reduced design cycle times with additive-manufacturing-industry-
technologies becomes difficult. Hiring tech-enabled CAD design software grows-to-almost-12-billion-
consultants or relying on a vendor’s for digitising parts at scale. With in-2019/#1fcecf1b5678
customer service programme can be the increase in AM demand,
a solution to alleviate risk for imple- organisations will experience growth
menting continuous improvement challenges at every stage of their AM
programmes and driving business journey, but the AM Maturity Model
objectives. is designed to help them to reflect
and plan how they want to mature
Zero to one their processes and what level of
Additive Manufacturing has been efficiency they would like to achieve.
around for over thirty years and Link3D is dedicated to helping
organisations that have been watching businesses scale their Additive
the industry closely have seen success Manufacturing operations for
and failure. More often than not, they industrialisation and mitigate the
hire AM experts to launch larger associated risks. Our experience and
programmes within their organisation studies have shown that organisa-
to support their business divisions. tions must consider their digital
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 165
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Call for
Presentations
MANUFACTURING INNOVATIONS:
• Part design
• Tooling
• Molding
• Debinding
• Sintering
MATERIALS ADVANCEMENTS:
• Metals & alloys
• Ceramics
• Hardmaterials
TARGETED AUDIENCE:
• Product designers
• Engineers
• End users
• Manufacturers
• Researchers
• Educators
• Students
Conference Sponsors:
Able to achieve quicker build speeds and lower cost per part than its
rival technologies, metal Binder Jetting (BJT) has generated increasing
interest and rapid industry investment over the past two years. But while
many engineers are now becoming familiar with the principles of design
for Powder Bed Fusion AM, design for BJT is less widely understood. In
this article, Olaf Diegel and Terry Wohlers attempt to demystify some of
the key factors that must be considered when designing parts for BJT.
Over the past two years, a lot of used, shrinking can range from 3% How metal BJT works
interest has developed in the use of to more than 20%. Because errors
metal Binder Jetting (BJT). Desktop from shrinkage magnify with size, A layer of metal powder is deposited
Metal, HP Inc. and others have and controlling it is difficult, users onto a build platform and a liquid
generated much of the attention of BJT tend to favour the technology binder is then applied using an
this class of AM technology is for the production of small parts. inkjet nozzle to form the shape of
getting. While some may be under Porosity and structural integrity are a slice of the part design. Where
the impression that metal BJT also considerations in BJT. the binder is applied, the powder
is a relatively new AM process, it
has been commercially available
for nearly two decades from The
ExOne Company. Höganäs’s Digital
Metal was second to make its BJT
technology available, first as a
service and more recently by selling
machines.
BJT offers some potential
advantages over alternatives such
as metal Powder Bed Fusion (PBF),
with cost being one of them. Taking
everything into account, the cost per
part can be lower for small parts
produced by BJT. Build speed, too,
is fast compared to some competing
AM technologies, which also factors
into its lower cost. BJT may offer
cost and speed advantages, but one
needs to consider other factors,
such as the part shrinkage that
occurs during sintering. Depending Fig. 1 Gears produced in 17-4PH stainless steel using ExOne’s metal Binder
on the process, metal and method Jetting technology (Courtesy The ExOne Company)
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 167
Design for Binder Jetting | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
particles in the layer bond together. The BJT process involves the used to produce details as small
The build-platform is then lowered, following steps and considerations: as 1 mm, but these features are
a new layer of powder spread on top, difficult to handle without damaging
and the process repeates until the 1. Binder Jetting them. This applies to both features
part geometry is completed within A machine deposits thin layers of and text on a part.
the powder bed. After completion, metal powder onto a build platform
the build platform is raised and the and applies a binder (i.e., liquid glue) 2. The ‘green’ state
loose powder removed. Green parts layer by layer. The minimum feature After the building phase is
must then be sintered into solid metal size for metal BJT is typically in the complete, the parts are in a fragile
parts. range of 2 mm. The process can be ‘green’ state. It is important to
consider the design of a part to
ensure it can be handled during this
temporary but critical phase. Green
A well-established technology variant: parts can be picked up, but they
Binder Jetting and infiltration to produce matrix have little strength and can easily
be broken.
materials such as ~ 60% stainless steel and ~ 40%
bronze 3. Powder removal
Loose powder around the parts
Once a green part has been the material ratio will be in the is carefully removed by brushing
produced, an alternative to range of 60–70% stainless steel and and/or vacuuming as part of a
sintering is infiltration by a second 30–40% bronze. Infiltrated parts will depowdering process to fully expose
material, such as bronze. The lower typically be about 90% dense. the green parts.
hardness of these materials makes The sprues and stilts typically
it easier to machine and polish have a surface area of about 4. Debinding and the ‘brown’ state
them. They can also exhibit useful 1–1.5 mm where they connect In the case of most BJT systems,
corrosion resistance properties. to the part, so the artefacts left a debinding process is needed to
When processing in this way, by these stilts and sprues after remove the main part of the binder
sprues and stilts need to be infiltration require finishing, usually system. The parts are placed in a
added to the part design to serve by machining. Any residual powder furnace to burn away the binder,
as passages that allow a molten around the model is removed by resulting in ‘brown’ parts. These are
metal to infiltrate. Since they are blasting it with air. Care must extremely fragile and will crumble if
still in a green state and fragile, be taken to not damage delicate touched.
they are fully surrounded with features.
sand, which acts as a temporary As the infiltration process can be 5. Sintering
support material. The model is labour intensive, its opportunities The parts are heated in a furnace
then infused with bronze at a high for high volume production may be until the particles of the metal
temperature, resulting in parts that limited, compared to Binder Jetting sinter and form a solid. Significant
are a two-alloy matrix. In the case followed by conventional debinding shrinking occurs with during
of a stainless steel/bronze part, and sintering. this phase, but the result is a
homogeneous part. Sintered BJT
parts typically have some internal
Bronze powder infiltrates the green part porosity, and are often around 97%
through capillary action when melted
dense. This means their as-sintered
mechanical properties are inferior
to the same material in wrought
Sand as form. As a point of comparison,
support metal PBF parts can be 99.5%
material
dense. It is common, however,
for high volumes of sintered
parts produced by Metal Injection
Green Moulding (MIM), technically similar
part
to metal Binder Jetting, to undergo
Stilt Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) to
Runner/Sprue
produce full dense parts. There is
little reason why this step cannot
also be applied to BJT parts, should
The bronze infiltration process (Courtesy The ExOne Company)
the application require it.
168 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Design for Binder Jetting
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 169
Design for Binder Jetting | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
170 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Design for Binder Jetting
necessary to include strengthening that can be additively manufactured benefits, pitfalls, and design consider-
ribs or walls in a design that support with BJT are about 0.7 mm when ations. Both require strong knowledge
handling (Fig. 4). infiltrating bronze. For fully-sintered, of the process and material to
Fig. 5 shows three different homogeneous parts, the smallest is design for an optimum outcome.
designs of the same part, with 1.2 mm. Average powder particle size BJT is relatively new for production
significant differences in the stem also plays a role in the hole size that applications where structural integrity
design for greater green strength. is achievable. is important, however those familiar
with MIM can call upon that industry’s
Horizontal holes experience and research. PBF is
With BJT, building parts with circular Additional thoughts being used much more extensively for
horizontal holes can be problematic production, even for some structural
because the weight of the material BJT can be less expensive for applications. The key is to understand
above the hole will compress its producing relatively large volumes of the idiosyncrasies of each process
shape downward during the sintering small parts, compared to PBF. When and where they can add value to make
process. This is particularly severe using laser-based PBF in particular, the process commercially viable.
when large masses of material are parts cannot be stacked or nested
above the hole. If a distorted pipe is easily, which is possible with BJT. This
straight, it can be made round by a makes it possible to use a machine’s Authors
subsequent drilling operation. If the entire build volume by stacking parts
pipe is curved, achieving a round hole in the vertical direction. The build Olaf Diegel and Terry Wohlers
Wohlers Associates Inc
OakRidge Business Park
1511 River Oak Drive
“It is impossible to conclude whether BJT Fort Collins
Colorado 80525
or PBF are better or worse because both USA
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 171
Events guide | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
Industry events
2020
Space Tech Expo Connect EBAM 2020 – International Conference on Electron
August 10-13 - Digital Event Beam Additive Manufacturing
www.spacetechexpo.com October 5-7, Erlangen, Germany
www.ebam.fau.de
3D Printing Asia Zone (Asiamold)
August 11-13, Guangzhou, China Euro PM2020 Virtual Congress
https://asiamold-china.cn.messefrankfurt.com/ October 5–7 - Digital Event
guangzhou/en/programme-events/3d-printing.html www.europm2020.com
AMTech Expo
December 9-10, Mumbai, India
https://amtechexpo.in
172 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
| contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter | Events guide
Metal AM magazine is dedicated to driving awareness and development of metal Additive Manufacturing
and its related technologies. Key to this aim is our support of a range of international partner
conferences. View our complete events listing on www.metal-am.com
2021
MAPP 2nd International Conference PowderMet2021 & AMPM2021
January 13-14, Abingdon, United Kingdom June 1-2, Orlando, FL, United States
www.mapp.ac.uk/events/mapp-2nd-international- www.powdermet2021.org & www.ampm2021.org
conference
TCT 3SIXTY
Additive Manufacturing Strategies 2021 June 29 - July 1, Birmingham, UK
February 9-12 - Digital Event www.tct3sixty.com
www.additivemanufacturingstrategies.com
EPMA Powder Metallurgy Summer School
MIM2021 July (TBC), Ciudad Real, Spain
February 22-24, West Palm Beach, FL, United States www.summerschool.epma.com
www.mim2021.org
AMTC4
5th Additive Manufacturing Forum 2021 October 12-14, Aachen, Germany
March 11-12, Berlin, Germany www.munichtechconference.com
www.am-forum.eu
Euro PM2021
AMUG 2021 October 17-20, Lisbon, Portugal
March 14-18, Chicago, IL, United States www.europm2021.com
www.amug.com
Rapid + tct
April 26-29, Chicago, IL, United States
www.rapid3devent.com
Vol. 6 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 173
Advertising | contents | news | events | advertisers | website | e-newsletter |
advertisers’ index
174 Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2020 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd Vol. 6 No. 2
“I can print with the
geometry that I want to use,
rather than use a design that
compromises aerodynamics,
but is AM friendly.”
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