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RAPID ADDITIVE FORGING FOR TITANIUM Highly Complex Parts With Small Powder Bed

AM MASS PRODUCTION GAINING SPEED

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2018 AND BEYOND? ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

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Additive Manufacturing Equipment News 2018

Asia Pacific

Additive Manufacturing Metrology Seminar Held By Zeiss Singapore SINGAPORE: Industrial metrology providers Zeiss Singapore recently held a seminar at the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre in Singapore, focussing on measurements in additive manufacturing.

Participants found out more about imaging and measurement technologies in the following areas of the 3D printing workflow: • • • • •

Materials characterisation.

Non-destructive evaluation.

Reverse engineering.

High accuracy metrology.

Data management and analysis.

3D printing processes, also known as additive manufacturing, are increasingly becoming part of industrial production chains. This is especially true in safetycritical areas such as aerospace, medical

technology and automotive industries where demanding standards apply. The

biggest challenge is to prove the reliability of 3D printed parts.

3D Metalforge Opens Metal-focused 3D Additive Manufacturing Centre In Singapore SINGAPORE : 3D Metalforge Private Limited unveiled its end-to-end 3D metal additive manufacturing centre (AMC) in Singapore, which will provide a complete suite of in-house metal printing solutions and services—ranging from design and engineering, to printing, post-production and finishing.

The AMC was jointly opened by Mr S Iswaran, Minister for Trade and Industry and it aims to offer cost-effective solutions for large format 3D metal printing for key industries—particularly in the marine, oil and gas, engineering and manufacturing sectors.

At the opening, individual project collaboration agreements were signed with A*Star’s Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech); as well as the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) and Singapore University of Technology and Design’s ( S U T D ) Digital Manufacturing and Design Centre (DManD) to jointly develop and commercialise 3D metal printing technologies for large metal printed parts in Singapore.

“Singapore’s strategic location, probusiness environment, high-technology infrastructure and its intense focus on the additive manufacturing sector to support

our economic transformation to Industry 4.0 makes it a logical choice for us to set up our AMC here,” said Matthew Waterhouse, chief executive officer, 3D Metalforge.

The AMC will have a range of printers from highly-precise printers to large scale and cost effective printers that will help customers capture the benefits of 3D printing. Some key advantages include the ability to re-design parts to reduce material usage and extending the lifespan of equipment by printing obsolete parts.

Additionally, the AMC supports small batch productions which translates to immediate cost savings on production, shipping, and warehousing for customers, This is a major advantage as more companies are moving towards the “highmix, low-volume” production model in the Asia Pacific region.

The company’s partnership with SIMTech will have them commercially develop Singapore’s first large format laser aided additive manufacturing (LAAM) technology for 3D printing for industrial applications; and the collaboration is supported and co-funded by NAMIC. SIMTech developed the background intellectual property (IP) of the LAAM technology; whilst the new equipment will

be housed in 3D Metalforge’s AMC. In addition to the partnership with SIMTech, the launch also saw the signing of a separate project collaboration agreement with NAMCI and SUTD’s DManD on the development and commercialisation of the wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) technology.

The technology utilises robotics, plasma, and machining technology to deliver a faster and more cost-effective 3D metal printing solution. It uses feed material that is up to five times cheaper than traditional metal powders, translating to more cost savings for customers; and the technology is targeted at key industries such as marine, oil and gas, and manufacturing industries.

“The government is committing S$3.2 billion (US$2.3 billion) over 2016 to 2020 to develop technological capabilities in the advanced manufacturing and engineering domain,” said Mr Iswaran, Minister for Trade and Industry. “AM has increasingly entered production processes, with AM manufactured end-use parts rising from almost nothing in 2003 to over 50 percent in 2015. In particular, the metal AM segment has risen rapidly.”

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Asia Pacific & Euope

Additive Manufacturing Metrology Seminar Held

By Zeiss Singapore JIANGSU, CHINA: Metrology system and metal 3D printing machine manufacturer Renishaw announced the signing of an agreement with FalconTech Co Ltd as a solutions centre partner and distributor for its additive manufacturing (AM) technology in China.

Located in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, FalconTech is a manufacturer of high performance components for aerospace, biomedical, marine, chemical and other engineering applications. Under the partnership, the company will set up an Additive Manufacturing Solutions Centre in Wuxi using Renishaw’s AM systems.

In addition, Renishaw will also purchase and promote FalconTech aerospace-grade titanium metal powders to its AM customers in China, and work with the company to develop and optimise these powders for use on current and future ranges of AM machines.

Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology

Green Light-Enabled SLM Allows Additive Manufacturing Of Copper SINGAPORE: The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology based in Aachen, Germany, is further developing selective laser melting (SLM) as part of a research project funded by the German Federation of Industrial Research Associations. The laser beam source operates with green light instead of infrared light.

A p owd er- b e d - b a s e d ad di t i ve manufacturing (AM) process, SLM is already in use in several sectors, including aerospace and automotive engineering, medical technology and turbo machinery

Renishaw & Infosys To Accelerate Metal Additive Manufacturing Use ASI A : Engineering and IT ser vices c o m p a n y I n f o s y s a n d R e n i s h a w, metrology and additive manufacturing provider, have announced a strategic par tnership to of fer an end-to-end product development service using metal additive manufacturing (AM) technology.

The two companies are combining their engineering expertise and global resources to help customers accelerate their deployment of AM, also known as 3D printing, for volume production of end-use metal components.

When adopting any disruptive new manufacturing technology, firms will go through a rigorous assessment process to understand the potential benefits, and to prove the reliability and capability of the production process. The investment in time, resources and equipment to achieve this can be significant.

Applying its efficient engineering processes and design for AM knowledge,

Infosys will manage product development projects from concept through to launch.

Application engineering expertise, postprocessing capability, and metrology will be providing by Renishaw in the form of its Additive Manufacturing Solutions Centres network.

Whilst additive manufacturing is changing the way that components are made, its bigger impact is on the design of products themselves. AM enables products that are lighter and more efficient in their use of resources, that facilitate exceptional heat transfer, that are integrated with fewer joints for greater reliability, or that are customised to adapt perfectly to a specific application. These gains in product capability are transforming AM into a mainstream manufacturing technology, used in series production of high performance parts for aerospace, medical, automotive, oil and gas, as well as mould and die.

manufacturing. It is primarily used to process steels, titanium, aluminium, nickel, and cobalt alloys.

The new process by the German institute incorporates a green laser and aims to offer manufacturers a cost-effective AM method for producing components made of copper alloys and pure copper. The ability to process pure copper could be an attractive option for end users, as it is more electrically and thermally conductive than copper alloys.

“Depending on surface properties, pure copper reflects most of the laser radiation in conventionally used wavelengths of 1 µm,” said Daniel Heussen, researcher, rapid manufacturing, Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology.

As a result, only a small portion of the laser energy is deposited in the material and thus, is available for the melting process.

The reflected radiation can also damage the components of the system. In addition, the absorptivity of the material for the infrared light rises rapidly as the material transitions from a solid to liquid state, thus triggering an unstable and intermittent re-melting process.

By using green laser light with a

wavelength of 515 nm, a higher absorptivity of pure copper can be achieved. This means that less laser power output is needed for a stable process. Furthermore, the laser beam can be focused more precisely, allowing it to manufacture far more delicate components using the new SLM process.

The German institute aims to create a reliable process with which industrial manufacturers can additively manufacture complex geometries of pure copper with hollow structures and undercuts. The process can be used for highly efficient heat exchangers and heat sinks or for the production of delicate, complex electrical components in small batches.

Compared to other additive methods such as electron beam melting, researchers at the German institute are hoping for a distinctly higher detail resolution as well as higher cost savings in production with this new process.

“However, before we achieve that, we still need to overcome a few hurdles in process and system development and gain a deeper process understanding for the use of the new wavelength,” said Mr Heussen.

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Additive Manufacturing Equipment News 2018

Europe & America

Materialise Acquires ACTech To Expand Manufacturing Solutions For 3D-Printed Metal Parts LEUVEN, BELGIUM: A Belgium-based provider of additive manufacturing solutions and software, Materialise NV has acquired ACTech, a Germany-based manufacturer that produces highly complex cast metal parts in limited runs.

The acquisition will enable the Belgian manufacturer to advance the development of its metal expertise and improve its overall supply chain for complex metal additively manufactured par ts. The company also plans to develop and improve its metal additive manufacturing software suite by learning from the German manufacturer and its metal manufacturing environment.

“ACTech knows metal and how to shape it to production standard, and we know metal 3D printing. Bringing those two competencies together is vital to the delivery

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of high added-value metal 3D-printed parts for specialised applications,” said Wilfried Vancraen, founder and chief executive officer, Materialise.

T h e G e r m a n m a n u f a c t u r e r ’s c u s t o m e r s w ill b e n e f i t f r o m t h e acquisition in terms of being given access to the Belgian manufacturer’s metal 3D printed parts service for pre-production design iterations.

The acquisition saw a cash payment of US $42.7 million from the Belgian manufacturer to the sellers, based on based on a total enterprise value of US$52.9 million.

“That position has enabled us to both develop and ser ve a growing demand for certified manufacturing with dedicated software and solutions,” concluded Mr Vancraen.

Laser Cutter Enables Hands-Free 3D Metal Part Folding laser set to a lower power level, causing controlled heating instead of cutting.

The heating causes relative expansion, which in turns enables the metal to be bent through laser forming. With laser forming, the direction in which the metal bends (up or down) can be controlled with power and beam speed, which is an advantageous aspect that cannot be achieved with the traditional approach.

“Without ever having to touch the workpiece, we went from a blank, unpatterned sheet of metal to a complex 3D part, including up and down folds, all with the laser itself,” said Dr Nathan Lazarus, researcher at the ARL. “This US Army Research Laboratory

MARYLAND, US: Researchers from the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) have developed a laser cutter that can create complex 3D parts directly from a blank sheet of metal.

The study, published in the journal Advanced Materials Technologies, can help soldiers and other users rapidly build self-forming replacements parts in remote locations, without the need to bring them in from another location.

Laser cutters are typically designed to cut 2D parts from a single sheet of material using a focussed light source that heats metal, allowing the material to leave the surface. The new technology sees the

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combination of etching, cutting and two types of folding, one mechanism for folding up and another for folding down, was the primary innovation of our work.”

This process is all hands-free, low-cost efficient and compatible with fabricating thousands of parts at a time.

Currently, it is difficult to get modern technology to rural areas, especially in developing countries, and low-cost devices such as 3D printers and laser cutters are easier to install in these locations to rapidly build tools and other items.

Initial demonstrations of the laser forming have included a wide range of possible parts from cubes and coils to arcs and cylinders. Materials that can be laser formed include metal, glass and crystalline semiconductors.

“This is a general advance for a widelyavailable laser machining technology, which complements the revolution in computer controlled additive manufacturing,” informed Dr Gabriel Smith, researcher at the ARL. “We have a number of ongoing projects building on our initial work.

These range from investigating scaling up in power and build volume to looking at building a variety of useful devices. We have had interest from both within and outside of ARL to extend this work.”

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The technology can generate savings of up to 50 percent on the cost of parts.

RAPID ADDITIVE FORGING TECHNOLOGY FOR TITANIUM PARTS Rapid additive forging is a technology using the metal deposition method that is similar to directed energy deposition, and can be applied to produce large titanium parts.

Contributed by Prodways

L

arge metal par ts for critical applications, in particular titanium parts for the aeronautical sector relies on expensive and slow manufacturing processes, often use combinations of forging and machining techniques. Certain titanium parts have manufacturing lead times of more than 12 months and this implies significant metal wastes.

The new rapid additive forging (RAF) technology developed by Prodways was built on a continuous research and development effort and a strengthening of its 3D metal printing offering.

The technology has been termed RAF, as similar to the forge process, the additive forging technology uses a distinctive metal deposition technology focussing on the metallurgical quality and the repeatability of the process. The technology was developed in collaboration with Commercy Robotique, a subsidiary of Groupe GorgĂŠ specialised in robotised welding for more than 40 years.

HOW PARTS ARE PRODUCED USING RAF The 3D printer that the company has developed uses a robot equipped with a head depositing molten metal in an atmosphere of inert gas. The metal is

deposited layer-by-layer and the large part is completed within a few hours.

This technology can quickly manufacture titanium blanks with very similar geometry compared with the final part. These blanks are then finish-machined, thus avoiding considerable losses of material which can represent up to 95 percent of the metal block with traditional machining processes and reduce parts manufacturing time significantly.

Besides titanium parts, this process has been tested on various metals including aluminium. In particular it is used to print titanium, a metal that is seeing increased use in new-generation aircraft. The third generation of the prototype is able to produce parts of more than 70 cm in size.

The company is currently developing a version which would print parts of up to 2 m in the main dimension.

With respect to other comparable technologies developed by other companies, the RAF technology uses a distinctive metal deposition technology focussing on the metallurgical quality and the repeatability of the process. The first metallurgical tests conducted on different parts revealed an absence of porosity and greater mechanical resistance compared with usual 3D metal

The rapid additive forging technology uses a distinctive metal deposition technology focussing on the metallurgical quality and the repeatability of the process.

printing techniques using laser or electron beam sintering.

POTENTIAL TIME AND COST SAVINGS Â The RAF technology has attracted the interest of several leading industrial groups including from the aeronautics and oil and gas sectors. Several manufacturers in the aeronautical industry believe this technology family could be applied to nearly 50 percent of the titanium parts used to manufacture an aircraft and generate savings of up to 50 percent on the cost of parts.

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Additive Manufacturing Equipment News 2018

Intellectual The “Light Cocoon” concept car by EDAG, is a compact sports car with a completely bionically optimised and additively manufactured vehicle structure.

ROLLING WITH ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING IN THE AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR Automotive manufacturers are under great pressure to develop vehicles which are due to go into production from now to 2020.

A panel of experts weigh in with their thoughts on how additive manufacturing could contribute to the automotive industry.

DR –ING MARTIN HILLEBRECHT Head of competence centre for lightweight design, materials and technologies EDAG Engineering GmbH

Q

SERGIO RASO Head of strategic marketing laser products BLM Group

: IS IT BECOMING MORE DIFFICULT IN THEAUTOMOTIVE SECTOR TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS? IF SO, HOW CAN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING CONTRIBUTE? SERGIO RASO (SR): Sustainability is the overriding aim for the automotive industry.

Various core technologies for the future of

PROF DR-ING CLAUS EMMELMANN Chief executive officer Laser Zentrum Nord GmbH

automotive production have so far been looked at.

For example, there is a lightweight hybrid design to achieve weight reduction and fuel efficiency, use of additive methods for a bionically optimised design, and employing tubing and profiles to ensure that the vehicle frame can be manufactured in

FRANK HERZOG President and chief executive officer Concept Laser GmbH

a highly flexible way.

DR–ING MARTIN HILLEBRECHT (MH): Toolless additive manufacturing and the profiling method with minimal use of tools may make it possible in future to design all bodywork versions to suit the level of loading and manufacture them “on demand”.

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New bodywork structures should weigh less, have high stiffness to ensure performance and satisfy demanding load scenarios in the event of a crash. Whatever happens, there is definitely potential here.

Q: CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES IS A KEY ASPECT. HOW DOES THE AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURER VIEW THIS? MH: With smart lightweight design, particularly with composite construction, vehicles should be roughly 100 kg lighter than their predecessors, depending on the segment of the market. Further weight savings of 10 to 20 percent can be achieved in the bodywork and addon parts. Many manufacturers have already succeeded in reversing the spiralling trend for increased weight.

But there are still ambitious targets to meet for weight reduction, comfort, functionality, sales criteria and new safety requirements from international legislators. These do not favour lightweight construction. It is a balancing act that we are trying to achieve.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CONVENTIONAL BODY DESIGNS? MH: In a typical car body with a monocoque construction, panels, reinforcements, mounting plates and profiles are connected together using joining technology. All components act as shells. The required rigidity is produced by cross-sections of metal sheets.

The advantage of this design is the low manufacturing costs associated with industrial mass production, which is the same worldwide. As well as inexpensive semi-finished products made from sheet metal, tried-and-tested and robust technologies such as forming and spot welding are used.

The disadvantage here is that tooling and plant investments only make economic sense if there are large quantities and make it difficult to produce a wide variety of different versions. In addition, tool-specific parts are associated with tooling costs and periods of preparation for the tooling technology are required. Ultimately, the tools have to be available across the full life cycle of the product.

Q: THE NEXTGEN SPACEFRAME WAS PRODUCED RECENTLY IN A PROJECT

BY EDAG, BLM, LASER ZENTRUM NORD, AND CONCEPT LASER, AND IS PART OF THE EDAG “LIGHT COCOON” CONCEPT CAR. WHAT FEATURES AND NEW PROCESSES DOES THIS SPACEFRAME HAVE? PROF DR-ING CLAUS EMMELMANN (CE): The jointlydevised spaceframe concept combines the advantages of 3D printing, such as flexibility and the potential for lightweight construction, with the efficiency of a proven conventional profile design. “Selective laser melting” plays the key role in both technologies.

The process yields bionically optimised nodes enable the maximum lightweight construction and a high degree of functional integration. Both the nodes and the profiles can be adapted to new geometries and load requirements without any additional outlay.

This means that they offer the possibility of designing every single part to cater for the level of loading, and not dimensioning the component s to ref lect the greatest motorisation, as was previously the case.

The basic idea then is to have a frame design which can be optimally customised to reflect what theparticular model requires.

FR A NK HER ZOG ( FH ) : H ybrid construction is also already being used in other sectors. Relatively simple or excessively long geometries are produced by traditional machining, and more complex geometries are then manufactured additively.

T his phenomenon reflect s the economics. Composite construction is of interest in many sectors where there is a need to bridge a gap between function and economic efficiency.

Q: WHAT NEW MANUFACTURING STRATEGIES AND POTENTIAL FOR AUTOMATION WILL EMERGE FROM THIS IN THE FUTURE? WHAT POTENTIAL DO YOU SEE IN CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURING? CE: The potential for construction resides in flexible design that caters for specific load situations. There is also the opportunity to use the bionic structures that have been highlighted to engage in the maximum possible level of lightweight design on a scale that was not previously possible.

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At Laser Zentrum Nord we develop design guidelines to be able to successfully transform bionic prototypes such as a bamboo structure or bird-bone structure into sophisticated technical lightweight components with weight savings of generally from 30 to 50 percent.

MH: In addition, being able to respond tofluctuations in sales volumes and “updateable”components during the life cycle of a vehicle should be emphasised.

These are completely new ideas for the industry, and are some of the considerations going in to the adaptive “Industry 4.0”. We are excited to see how customers react to this.

FH: The core aspects of “Industry 4.0” such as automation, digitisation and interlinking play a fundamental role in our recently presented “AM Factory of Tomorrow”. The objective is to automate and thus minimise manual processes in order to prevent any downtime in the production of components. Any desired number of machines which were previously designed to be standalone solutions will increasingly be linked together to embrace the notion of a smart factory.

There will also be automation and interlinking of additive and conventional technologies, in particular in the reworking of the components that are produced.

Traditional manufacturing methods will then operate alongside additive methods.

This is aligned with the requirements of the basic idea behind Industry 4.0. In the future, this will also make our process economically attractive for the mass production of metallic components, and also apply to the automotive industry, where it is primarily all about large volumes and quantities.

The fact is that 3D printing on space stations is already being explored by NASA. And whatever happens, from a cosmic perspective there is a great deal of future ahead of us.

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Q: WHAT SIGNIFICANCE DOES THE POWDER-BASED LASER MELTING OF METALS HAVE TODAY AND WHAT SIGNIFICANCE WILL IT HAVE IN THE FUTURE IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY? SR: Additive manufacturing techniques are today employed primarily in the automotive industry to manufacture small numbers of functional parts. However, as the aerospace industry has already demonstrated, we can see that the move over to additive manufacturing strategies significantly enhances product and process performance.

The introduction of the “Manufacturingfor Functionality” paradigm, along with “just-in-time manufacturing” and precision concepts instead of the rather restrictive “Design for Manufacturing” as well as have already begun to establish a foothold in the automotive industry. We are seeing the foundations of something completely new here.

MH: Presently, additive processes provide great potential in prototyping and tooling, as well as the production of spare parts. These processes have so far not caught on in automobile production yet, likely due to the high prices of materials and machine technologies. We await the future with keen interest, and would be delighted

Additive Manufacturing Equipment News 2018

if the sector were to embrace our ideas of tool-free manufacturing in combination with traditional manufacturing methods. There are def initely lots of opportunities here.

Q: SPARE PARTS FOR CARS ARE REGARDED AS A LOGISTICAL AND COSTLY CHALLENGE. GLOBAL AVAILABILITY, WAREHOUSING, LIFE CYCLES AND THE PRESSURE OF TIME ARE ALL CHALLENGES FOR THE SPARE PARTS EXPERTS. NOT LEAST, SPARE PARTS ARE CURRENTLY A BLESSING FOR AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS THAT OPERATE AS OEMS OR RETROFITTERS OR EVEN DUPLICATORS. HOW CAN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURINGCHANGE THIS SITUATION? MH: Additive manufacturing makes it possible above all to fabricate components spread out and at different locations.

This means that local advantages can be exploited, and different versions can be produced later and close to production.

There are thus no transports and logistics costs, different versions of components no longer need to be kept in stock, and production close to the market and customers shortens the delivery time.

CE: Additive manufacturing makes it possible to simply send CAD data records

instead of physical components around the world, and if necessary, print out spare parts at a local level. One option is to have decentralised manufacturing, the effects of which we can only imagine. This approach will radically alter the supply of spare parts – delivery times could be reduced significantly and warehousing costs will be completely removed. This scenario is currently being actively implemented with the aviation industry. The foundation is thus being laid for this approach to be transferred to the automotive industry too.

SR: Car frames based on 3D-bent and cut profiles and nodes produced from additive manufacturing will also enable new paradigms for the management of spare parts and their logistics. Fully automatic production of profiles and nodes based on “just-in-time” approaches would enable a drastic reduction in costs, also assuming that new guidelines for the repair of vehicles will be adopted.

Q: LET’S LOOK AT THE ISSUE OF QUALITY OF 3D COMPONENTS. HOW DO YOU ASSESS THE STANDARD OF TRADITIONAL MANUFACTURING METHODS COMPARED TO ADDITIVE METHODS? MH: Standards and quality requirements are being drawn up by industry experts

The “Light Cocoon” concept car by EDAG, is a compact sports car with a completely bionically optimised and additively manufactured vehicle structure.

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The X line 2000R from Concept Laser (build envelope: 800 x 400 x 500 mm3), equipped with two lasers producing 1kW.

The bodywork produced by hybrid additive manufacturing can be implemented to produce bodyworks that are designed to be suitable for different load stages.

The NextGen spaceframe nodes can be configured to be highly functionally integrated thanks to additive manufacturing.

Q: LET’S LOOK AHEAD TO THE FUTURE. WHICH ADDITIVE PARTS WILL BE CONCEIVABLE IN THE AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR IN THE NEXT DECADE? MH: Besides the traditional production of prototype parts, like cast parts, additive manufacturing will make it possible to create very complex, functionally integrated and highly efficient structures that cannot be produced using other methods. So it is worth exploring niche areas and, apart from motor racing and ultra-lightweight construction, looking for future solutions in the context of specific requirements, such as electric mobility. They can then be fleshed out with us as the independent development company for the automotive industry.

SR: All I want to say is that in the future, we will have to accept solutions which cannot be transmitted today. The fact is that 3D printing on space stations is already being explored by NASA. And whatever happens, from a cosmic perspective there is a great deal of future ahead of us.

BIONIC DESIGN IN MANUFACTURING With additive manufacturing, there are many possibilities regarding the future of the automotive sector.

In the aerospace sector, Airbus, a proponent of bionic design, recently introduced a design for the A320’s passenger-to-gallery partition. This mimicked cells and bones’ structure, and weighs 45 percent (30 kg) less than current designs.

The use of 3D-bent and laser-cut tubes and profiles for structural assembly has already proved to be a way of saving weight in assembly while still retaining mechanical properties. The load-specific matching of lasermelted 3D nodes and laser-welded 3D profiles has an important role to play in this design.

Nodes produced by traditional casting technologies proved to be a trusted solution in the past. Bionics, hollow spaces and lattice structures built from additive manufacturing allows 3D nodes to have even more options for design, variations and safety aspects.

Astron Steel

Presently, additive processes provide great potential in prototyping and tooling, as well as the production of spare parts.

and will undoubtedly also be based on the standards used for traditional manufacturing methods.

FH: It has to be said though: We have a more or less “blank canvas” as far as the additive manufacturing solutions of the future are concerned. But the NextGen spaceframe sends a sufficiently bold signal to the automotive industry to look at the issue more closely in terms of design.

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Additive Manufacturing Equipment News 2018

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING IN 2018?

With additive manufacturing a key driver of Industry 4.0, we take a closer look at the trends we can expect to see in 2018 and beyond. By Terrence Oh, vice president (Asia Pacific), EOS Singapore

The aerospace, healthcare, automotive and fast-moving consumer goods industries are adopting additive manufacturing capabilities, according to Terrence Oh.

O

ptimism is a word that is currently synonymous with the manufacturing industry’s outlook for the next few years. A catalyst for this growth is partly due to the rise in additive manufacturing (AM), or industrial 3D printing. By 2019, Gartner

estimated that 3D printer sales will grow at 72.8 percent compound annual growth rate or reach more than US$14.6 billion.

While AM has seen an uptake in recent years, mass adoption is only prevalent in certain regions like North America and Europe. For AM providers, one of the biggest challenges faced is to educate customers to fully comprehend the benefits of AM in their production strategy.

This is a critical barrier that is preventing businesses from deploying unprecedented technologies such as AM—a disruptor in manufacturing and a fast-evolving technology despite its relative maturity.

The technology is a key driver of Industry 4.0, and slow adoption can prevent an even accelerated market growth in the industry, which is crucial for enabling smart factories of the future.

As we approach the year ahead, we have taken a closer look at the AM trends we can expect to see in 2018 and beyond.

Additive manufacturing is a key driver of Industry 4.0.

AM MASS PRODUCTION WILL BE GAINING SPEED There is still a long way ahead for mass adoption of AM, especially in Asia Pacific, but this might pick up in the years ahead.

The innovative leaps made in software, breadth of materials, colour capabilities and printing techniques have spurred adoption in aerospace, healthcare, automotive and fast-moving consumer goods industries. This is because AM is most often in demand in industries where material resilience, technical precision and structural engineering are paramount.

By integrating AM into their production strategy, innovation cycles are sped up and a quantum leap is achieved in lead time.

GREATER CONTROL OVER PART QUALITY Engineers are constantly seeking ways to develop components of high quality, functionality,

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and robustness, all while simplifying and reducing the production chain. This is able to be achieved with AM, as manufacturers have greater control over part quality and more.

A key benefit of A M adoption is eliminating production costs as part production only requires the components to be accounted for. This makes set-up and tooling costs close to zero. The material savings translate into more flexibility in design and engineering. Reduced production processes due to minimised part assembly can also make way for time savings.

SUSTAINABILITY & CUSTOMISABILITY Manufacturers are able to create products/ structures that are more sustainable and eco-friendly with AM. This is crucial in boosting waste reduction and sustainability into our everyday habits.

Tailoring AM technologies to specific business needs can enable new applications based on the technology. For example, the partnership with EOS and Wipro3D has enabled a customised and complete value chain of AM solutions to customers in India.

This applies to others as well, where we are able to value-add to boost their AM ecosystem and the industrialisation of AM. We are also noticing that AM adoption is beginning to rise steadily in China, India and Japan, and we expect this to intensify in years to come.

MORE TRAINING & EDUCATION To address the education gap in AM, we foresee an increase to build up capabilities from early on, partially fuelled by more government expenditure in this area. In Singapore, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster has been a key pillar in establishing AM facilities in tertiary institutions. As Singapore moves to become a leading AM hub, these facilities will play a crucial role in advancing intellectual property development and commercialisation in these technologies.

To help organisations have the know-how, Additive Minds was set up in November 2016 to help them enjoy the full potential of AM that they need through training. The consulting unit is constantly on the lookout to expand their offerings in the region so that users can achieve the next level of innovation sooner.

Partnerships with institutions such as

Intellectual property development and commercialisation are rapidly increasing for additive manufacturing.

Incheon Polytechnic have also been formed to offer a first-hand experience on the host of possibilities that AM offers. Aside from establishing an AM-specific knowledge

base more efficiently, universities can increase their appeal as centres of education by offering more course options on key 3D printing technology topics.

FLEXIBLE PRODUCTION & INCREASED EFFICIENCY Additive manufacturing technology supplier EOS recently presented its software portfolio at formnext 2017, held in November 2017. The company’s software aims to provide businesses with the necessary tools to integrate industrial 3D printing into their manufacturing process, enabling a flexible production and increased efficiency. Dr Tobias Abeln, chief technical officer at EOS said, “We understand the challenges of our customers with regards to industry 4.0 and the need for increased productivity.”

The company’s CAM tool EOSprint 2 allows the integration of AM into serial production. Users integrating AM and post-process machining can utilise the reference point calibration feature.

The feature can set the same zero point across different machine types, such as milling and turning machines

and industrial 3D printing. Additionally, the software offers functionalities to enhance material and process development with the DoE (Design of Experiments) Set-up feature.

Machine and production data can be gathered and made available in near real-time with EOSConnect. Connections can also be made to premise MES/ERP solutions but also to serve upcoming digital marketplaces and IoT platforms.

Additionally, an app is made available to visualise the data in a dashboard.

With this, companies can gain a seamless handover of production data into their computer aided quality systems for secure traceability, helping them to validate their processes for production.

They also can benefit from transparency with visualisation and readout of real-time production key performance indicators.

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METAL CUTTING

Additive Manufacturing Equipment News 2018

Recreating Legacy Parts:

BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO AUTOMOTIVE PARTS Metal printing is gaining popularity in the precision engineering sector due to the time

While additive and classic automobile restoration may seem an unlikely and cost savingsmanufacturing that can be achieved. combination, being able to recreate legacy parts make a compelling case to adopt the technology. By Jennifer Costa, communications consultant, and Linda Crum, technical writer, ExOne

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estoring classic cars comes with a unique set of challenges, especially in terms of rare and limited release cars. Legacy parts can be difficult to find and costly. Paul Vorbach and his partner Bill Hahn of Hahn-Vorbach & Associates decided that a different approach was needed to offer his customers costeffective solutions.

In 2015, Mr Vorbach explored ways that additive manufacturing could support producing hard-to-find legacy parts.

With manufacturing technology company ExOne being able to provide what they needed, while reducing turnaround time and increasing availability while providing customisable parts, Mr Vorbach and Mr Hahn developed HV3D Works to offer their customers more options by using additive manufacturing technology to restore and customise cars.

They were able to utilise scanning and CAD software to recreate impossible-tofind legacy parts and then, print the parts directly using the company’s binder jetting metal process. Today, the company is one of only a handful of companies to integrate additive manufacturing in the car restoration industry.

Binder Jetting Process Binder jetting is an additive manufacturing process in which a liquid binding agent is selectively deposited to join powder particles. Layers of material are then bonded to form an object. The print head drops binder into the powder. The job box lowers and another layer of powder is then spread and binder is added. Over time, the part develops through the layering of powder and binder.

Powders The process is compatible with several types of powders which allow customers to use powders that fit their process.

the bed to dispense binder only in the desired areas. The binder jetting process has proprietary binders that are designed for certain powders and applications.

Curing Process Depending on the binder, the 3D printed parts are cured. The build box is placed in an industrial curing oven at around 200 deg C for two to 12 hours. The curing process strengthens the binder, allowing the part to be handled.

De-Powdering During the de-powdering process, a vacuum is used to remove bulk powder and air is used to clear fine features on the part.

The unprinted powder that is removed from the build box is then sieved and returned to the machine for future production runs, resulting in the recyclability of powder.

Sintering Parts produced with the binder jetting process can be sintered or infiltrated

Powder Dispensing And Spreading Powder is held in a hopper on the machine in order to be dispensed throughout the printing process. A counter-rotating roller is then used to compact and level the surface, leaving a smooth surface for printing.

Binder Jetting After spreading the powder, binder material is deposited onto the print bed using the print head. Dispensing between 450 and 900 drops per inch, the print head traverses

Hard-to-find legacy parts for automobiles can be created using additive manufacturing.

METAL CUTTING

Additive Manufacturing Equipment News 2018

depending on the material printed or the desired material properties using an industry standard furnace. The infiltration process results in the porosity of the part being filled with bronze due to capillary action. Parts that are sintered shrink as the powder particles are bonded together, producing a highly dense part.

Finishing After completing the sintering process, parts can be machined, coated or blasted to attain desired finishes.

ENABLING BUSINESS The technology enabled Mr Vorbach to reimagine his business model. His company is now a niche business that is addressing a growing challenge facing Hahn-Vorbach and the industry at large: the costliness of quality parts and the rarity or unavailability of parts.

“It was our search for rare parts that initially led us to examine and explore the possibilities of additive manufacturing,”

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Binder jetting is an additive manufacturing process in which a liquid binding agent is selectively deposited to join powder particles.

explains Mr Vorbach. “I recognised the potential of what we could do for the restoration business if we had the ability to access more of the parts we needed using additive manufacturing.”

UNIQUE POSITION Considering that the automotive specialty equipment market was valued at more than US$39 billion in 2016, according to the Specialty Equipment Market Association, the company is uniquely positioned with their services that include 3D scanning, reverse

engineering, custom part design, and 3D print management.

The binder jetting technology offers distinct advantages over traditional methods, being able to create the complex geometries of automotive parts, with ease.

In addition, the process can lower cost and shorten the often lengthy turnaround time for legacy parts.

Mr Vorbach is working to increase his offerings to include more materials and greater variety options in customisation.

ENQUIRY NO 284

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PRODUCT FINDER

Additive Manufacturing Equipment News 2018

GE Additive: Project Atlas Beta Machine Project Atlas is the next generation of large additive machines suitable for customers in industries such as aviation, space, energy and automotive. It has a build volume of 1,100 by 1,100 by 300 mm, gantry-based architecture, and a one kilowatt laser, making it suitable for large parts with high resolution and complex geometries.

The machine also has several key technologies, including scalable architecture, combined with higher feature resolution and build-rate speeds. The printer will also take advantage of Predix, GE’s software platform for the industrial internet, to monitor the printing process and also the health of the machine.

DMG Mori: Lasertec 30 SLM DMG Mori’s Lasertec 30 SLM additive manufacturing machine has a build volume of 300 by 300 by 300 mm and a layer thickness of 20 to 100 µm, enabling users to manufacture small workpieces such as impellers and dental crowns.

The machine is suitable for the production of high-mix, low-volume parts or complex-shaped workpieces. The machine’s smaller footprint also incorporates fewer movable axes.

EOS: EOSprint 2.0 EOSprint 2.0 by EOS is a software for additive manufacturing systems. Features include application-specific parameter optimisation allowing for easier part optimisation.

The software is available for metal systems EOS M 290 and EOS M 400. The software features a workflow-based approach for the graphical user interface reflecting the AM CAM process.

Through click-based functions, users can progress through the necessary steps to prepare their file for printing.

New plane segmentation capabilities enable different layer thicknesses, optimising it for production and enabling the splitting of a part along a plane so that it can be shifted in z-level to define part segments with different exposure requirements regarding quality and productivity. Segments where speed is more important can be processed with parameters optimised for highest productivity.

IPCM M pro Material Handling Module The IPCM M pro is a material handling module for additive manufacturing (AM) printers. It is equipped with a process chamber door with coupling points to connect with the module and material containers.

Material not fused during the building process can be directly conveyed out of the AM system. A vacuum pump conveys the powder out of the system and into the module, where it is sieved under inert gas within the module at a throughput of 120 kg of material in 30 min.

PRODUCT FINDER

Additive Manufacturing Equipment News 2018

BeAM: Magic 2.0 Printer

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Okuma: Multus U5000 Laser Ex

The Magic 2.0 by BeAM has been developed industries which need specific working areas for direct 3D manufacturing to repair big metallic parts in five continuous axes. Developed in order to follow industrial feedback, the machine has improvement of maintainability and accessibility with five continuous axis machine-linear motors and glass scales.

With a build volume of 1,200 by 800 by 800 mm, the machine has a Siemens 840D control, an IPG two KW fibre laser, and a powder distributor with one bowl of 1.5 litres.

The laser technology infused in Okuma’s super multitasking machines of the Laser Ex series combine subtractive and additive manufacturing, hardening, and coating of workpiece blanks to the final product—done on one machine. The machine is capable of milling, turning, grinding, laser metal deposition (LMD) and heat treatment for a wide range of workpiece sizes and shapes.

On-machine hardening is faster and causes less distortion than conventional heat treatment, resulting in dramatically increased accuracy and throughput. The series also enables laser processing from coating to LMD.

SMS Group: 3D Spray Heads

Trumpf: TruLaser Cell 3000

The additive-manufactured 3D spray heads by SMS Group have external-mix two-fluid nozzles that produce an extremely fine aerosol. Unmixing, as in internal-mix systems, naturally cannot occur with this technology. The homogeneous, constant-overtime spray pattern provides for a long tool service life and optimal spraying results.

The nozzles can be switched individually or in zones and offset in time. The membrane platelets are located directly at the nozzle.

The short switching periods allow for high dynamics, while dripping is precluded.

Trumpf’s 5-axis laser machine TruLaser Cell 3000 can weld and cut in two or three dimensions. In addition, the 3D laser machine is also designed for laser metal deposition. The machine is suitable to produce prototypes to large-scale series production with automation. It also has a repetition accuracy of up to < five µm.

During cutting, the cutting parameters are stored on the control system and optimised for the most common laser types, material types, and material thicknesses. It has a unique optics system for automatic adjustment of the focal diameter and focal position.