Page 13 - 3D Metal Printing Magazine Winter 2022

Formnext 2022 will be held in Frankfurt November 15-18, and again will provide a remote digital component. For details, visit www.formnext.mesago.com/events/ en.html.
3D Metal Printing was on hand live at Formnext 2021 to take in all things metal AM. We’ve been posting on what we saw at www.3dmpmag.com since November, and below we offer other introductions of prod- ucts and services by industry suppliers.
AM Systems, Part Makers and More
Doubly Productive MetalFabG2
At Formnext, Additive Industries’ Ian C. Howe, chief executive officer, unveiled the company’s MetalFabG2 laser powder- bed fusion AM system, touting its ability to double productivity—build speed to 150 cm3/hr.—as compared to the original
in three configurations. MetalFabG2 Core, suited for large-part production, includes four full-field lasers and closed-loop pow- der handling. The MetalFabG2 Automa- tion runs two jobs consecutively, says Howe, noting that it is ideal for small- to medium-series production. The Metal- FabG2 Continuous Production provides for continuous series production over multiple print cores. This configuration reportedly can run different materials in each core, and print as many as eight jobs autonomously.
Spied in the Additive Industries booth, an Inconel 718 turbine pump housing (pictured) produced via updated MetalFab technology. The 150-kg. housing was pro- duced via four lasers in 121 hr. Note the teardrop-shaped passageways—design features that assisted in a support-free build.
Additive Industries: www.additiveindustries.com
DED In Standalone Meltio Machine, or with CNC
or Robot Integration
Spanish company Meltio, a provider of directed energy deposition (DED) AM technology and offering an open wire and powder material platform, has expanded its reach to North America (U.S. office in Las Vegas, NV). The company offers a standalone AM machine as well as a multi- laser deposition head in a package it refers to as an engine, that can be integrated with a CNC or robotic platform, thus cre- ating a hybrid manufacturing system with no inherent part-size constraints for near- net-shape manufacturing, component repair or feature addition. And, multi- material capability allows for printing dual wire for hardfacing or anti-corrosion applications, or wire and powder to create new alloys on the fly.
Meltio’s turnkey multi-metal DED 3D printer, the M450, features a compact footprint and allows users to produce high-density metal parts in a single-step process. It offers a print envelope of 150 by 170 by 425 mm, and employs multiple 200-W direct-diode lasers to process wire feedstock. Use the company’s technology
to manufacture from stainless and mild steel, as well as titanium, nickel and cop- per alloys.
On the show floor, Meltio displayed the M450 as well as its CNC and robotic- platform engines, and displayed numer- ous parts, including a blisk (pictured) for an aerospace application. The Type 316L stainless-steel blisk, measuring 500 by 500 by 60 mm and weighing 9.15 kg, was pro- duced via the Meltio engine integrated with a robotic platform. Total build time: 26 hr., 25 min.
Meltio: www.meltio3d.com
Velo3D’s Multi-Laser Machines Produce Complex Thin-Walled Parts Velo3D displayed new builds via its
Sapphire XC large-format 3D metal print- er, the standard Sapphire metal-AM machine, and the new Sapphire 1MZ machine based on the standard Sapphire, but able to print metal parts to heights of 1 m. The eight-laser (each with 1000 W of power) Sapphire XC, with a build volume of 600-mm dia. by 550-mm height, report- edly increases production throughput by five times and reduces cost-per-part by as much as 75 percent as compared to the standard Sapphire.
All of the machines employ the same optical-train design, recoater technology, gas-flow technology and metrology, and fully integrate with Velo3D’s Flow pre- print software and Assure quality-control software. The standard Sapphire offers a
MetalFab machine. The MetalFabG2, incorporating more than 150 updates since MetalFab’s debut in 2016, features optimized gas flow and heat management, process parameters designed to boost productivity and quality, and automated beam-quality measurements. Use the MetalFabG2 to print titanium, aluminum, stainless-steel and nickel alloys as well as tool steels.
The PrintReady3D-ready system, avail- able today to customers, offers a 420 by 420 by 400-mm build volume and comes
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WINTER 2022 • 3D METAL PRINTING | 11
Formnext 2021 3D