By Melissa Donovan
Additive manufacturing (AM) is used in the building and construction industry for producing parts on demand. Metal and plastics are both utilized depending on whether the build results in a final part, prototype, or tooling.
A number of AM methods print either metal or plastics. This includes liquid metal jetting (LMJ), laser directed energy deposition (LDED), liquid resin-based technology, wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), and material extrusion.
ADDiTEC
The AMDROiD is ADDiTEC’s forward-deployable robot cell, which is uniquely rated for reactive materials and designed for rapid, on-site manufacturing.
Equipped with a powerful, 6kW fiber laser and a precision-configured deposition head, the AMDROiD offers high-performance features that set it apart such as high deposition rates; it can achieve deposition rates of up to four kilograms per hour for reactive metals, maximizing productivity and reducing waste. It is capable of printing large parts up to 1.8 meters in dimension. Users can print with a diverse array of materials including aluminum, copper, carbon steel, mild steel, stainless steel, Inconel, and titanium, offering flexibility across various industrial applications.
ADDiTEC’s Hybrid Series is ideal for industries requiring intricate details, rapid production, and exceptional surface finishes. It combines LMJ and LDED.
Both processes use low-cost COTS welding wire to print near-net shape parts with 100 percent material utilization. LMJ brings high-resolution capability while LDED offers high deposition rate capability. In addition, multi-material capability is enabled by having two additive processing heads within a single system. The subtractive process within a hybrid manufacturing system provides post-machining capabilities to achieve the desired surface finish and tolerances for parts printed using the two additive processes.
Fiberneering
XXL-DLP printers excel in building volume, speed, and level of detail. With a complete building volume of 0.5×0.4×1 meter that can be fully printed in less dan a day, the printers are much faster than the competition, according to the company. The liquid resin is cured using DLP light engines, which has benefits in cure speed and accuracy, leading to very detailed parts.
HP Inc.
HP’s Multi Jet Fusion allows for the creation of unique shapes, reducing material usage and assembly weight, all while maintaining superior mechanical performance. HP’s new 5600 Series, an upgrade to the 5200 Series, enhances Multi Jet Fusion technology. It offers greater repeatability, reliability, and customization, catering to various industries for scalable production, reducing development and validation costs. These features are critical as customers scale manufacturing for serial production across verticals, including automotive, consumer, healthcare, and industrial. Ideal for high-volume production environments, the new HP 5600 Series applies lessons learned from the 5200 Series as well as market demand for open production parameters to enhance the platform with optimized print modes, calibrations, and hardware.
The HP Metal Jet S100 Printing solution allows customers to scale economically and address end-to-end needs both in software and in hardware. The HP Metal Jet S100 Solution is an open platform that accepts a range of materials.
Mantle
Mantle’s P-200 printer is a hybrid system built on a trusted CNC platform. It integrates 3D printing of Mantle’s metal pastes with precision machining to produce parts with the accuracy and surface finish required for tooling. The P-200 printer has a build volume of 200x200x150 millimeters.
Meltio
The Meltio M600 wire laser metal 3D printer with its built-in three-axis probing system and work-holding solutions, is the ideal companion for manufacturing operations. It allows printing of large parts or a batch of small parts in a row, simultaneously. Meltio’s laser metal deposition process achieves exceptional material mechanical properties using single, dual, and quad wire.
A newly developed Blue Laser deposition head increases printing speed while reducing energy consumption thanks to the increased absorption of the short wavelength light compared to most industrial lasers which emit near-infrared light. This advantage is multiplied for reflective materials such as copper and aluminum alloys where near-infrared lasers lead to unsatisfactory results. Combining this with the fully inert workspace, the Meltio M600 can process a large range of materials efficiently while producing parts with exceptional properties.
MX3D
M Metal AM Systems is a turnkey solution to start printing metal parts with eight-axis robotics systems fast. There are two models, the M1 Metal AM System, which is the standard solution to get started with WAAM fast and print up to two-meter parts. Recently, MX3D launched the MX Metal AM System, which is a custom solution for more extreme, large-scale metal printing.
What’s unique about the M Metal AM System is that it is an end-to-end robotic 3D metal printing solution, running on proprietary workflow and an advanced sensor system.
Flexibility in Construction
Despite the variety of technologies, all have on thing in common—offering the flexibility for those in the building and construction space to manufacture parts, tooling, and more on demand—and even on site if need be.
Sep2024, Industrial Print Magazine
