Page 16 - 3D Metal Printing Magazine Winter 2022

3D Formnext 2021
Jet Suit Benefits from Beamit AM for Part Consolidation, Lightweighting and
Rapid Development
Beamit Group displayed a full Gravity Industries Jet Suit, including this arm jet pack. Gravity Industries opted for AM, and partnered with 3T Additive Mfg., a Beamit Group company, on the project in order to consolidate parts, reduce weight and compress part-development time.
Beamit Group: www.beam-it.eu
Renishaw Single- and Multi-Laser Machines Feature Simplified Powder Handling
Renishaw has introduced two variants in its RenAM 500 line of metal-AM machines: the RenAM 500S Flex, a sin- gle-laser machine, and the RenAM 500Q Flex, a four-laser machine. Both feature simplified powder-handling systems, making them suited to manufacturers that regularly must swap build materials dur- ing production, such as in R&D, pre-pro- duction and bureau environments.
The machines feature the same optical, chamber and gas-flow designs as employed throughout the RenAM 500 series and produce the same high-quality parts, but also provide additional flexibility when changing powders, according to company officials. The simplified, non- recirculating powder system enables sim- ple change between materials, without
compromising on part quality or build capacity. To avoid cross-contamination, users reportedly can clean the system between use of different powders easily by changing out hard-to-clean parts, rather than having to invest in a new machine for each material test. Parts also can be swapped in again if users want to retest the same material again, further reducing costs.
“Manufacturers quickly can change powders in the RenAM 500S Flex and RenAM 500Q Flex inhouse, giving them the flexibility they need to meet customer demand,” explains Lily Dixon, AM project manager at Renishaw. “Once the pre-pro- duction stage is complete, the common build environment allows any parameters to be directly trans- ferred to a RenAM 500Q with pow-
der recirculation, without the need to retest the gas flow, chamber and optics. Manufacturers also can build full-sized parts on a small scale before mass production. And, if the manufacturer no longer requires a flexible AM system, the Flex can be converted to a recircu- lating machine—a feature unique to this system. Converting the sys- tem provides manufacturers with
a high-productivity AM option for serial production.”
Renishaw: www.renishaw.com
GE Additive Helicopter Part Highlights Productivity
in Bulky-Part Builds
GE Additive displayed this scaled ver- sion of a helicopter mainframe part, built in an Arcam EBM Spectra L machine from titanium supplied by AP&C, a GE Additive company. The part showcases the machine’s ability to provide high produc- tivity on bulky parts with thinner sections, according to company officials, who note that two of these parts were produced in a single build. Supports—reported to be
14 | 3D METAL PRINTING • WINTER 2022
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