Page 24 - 3D Metal Printing Magazine Winter 2022

3D
CAM Software Triggers Success
with DED Metal Printing
FEATURE
A state-of-the-art CAD- CAM environment for DED automates the control of power from the energy source, material feed and the manipulator. Then, automation features within the software itself allow for repeatable processing of part families with reduced costs and streamlined development time.
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
The directed-energy-deposition (DED) process for metal additive manufacturing (AM) selectively deposits layers of molten material to build fully dense components. Its variants include industry tradenames such as wire- arc additive manufacturing ( WAAM), laser metal deposition (LMD), laser engineered net shape (LENS) and directed metal dep- osition (DMD).
DED processes find use for fabricating primarily large parts; repairing worn or deteriorated parts; adding new features to existing parts; applying metal coatings; and creating new materials from multiple metal alloys. DED setups comprise a device to feed the printed material (pow- der or wire); an energy source (laser, elec- tron beam or electric arc) to melt the metal; and a manipulator (gantry or robot, for example) to direct the molten metal
The DED process can help to produce better parts by coating some areas with a dissimilar material to prevent wear, or by reinforcing highly stressed areas. Confirm that your CAM software has the needed functionality for additive and hybrid processing.
All photos courtesy of Open Mind Technologies (www.openmind-tech.com) and display hyperMill AM applications.
to the build.
The market for this technology, accord-
ing to a year-end report from SmartTech Analysis, “continued a robust recovery in the third quarter of 2021, with metals expanding about 18 percent compared to 2020 and polymers expanding about 12 percent.”
For a fresh perspective on how, where and why the DED process is gaining
22 | 3D METAL PRINTING • WINTER 2022
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