Metal Additive Manufacturing

Hi there! We are a group of Industrial Engineering & Management students from Fontys in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. In the fourth year of our study we are deepening our knowledge of Metal 3D-printing; selective laser melting in particular. Hope you'll enjoy our blog!

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We all thank you for visiting the market and wish you a very nice weekend!

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The SWOT-analysis we created after our route of gaining knowledge.

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Two scientific articles about the growth of the metal 3D-print market:

- https://www.materialstoday.com/metal-industry/news/china-nano-metal-powder-market-to-/

- https://www.materialstoday.com/additive-manufacturing/news/global-3d-printing-market-to-reach-more/

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SLM Solutions breaks record with €48 million metal 3D printer deal

In a record breaking deal, German metal additive manufacturing company SLM Solutions has secured a major order of 70 SLM280 metal 3D printers from an unnamed customer in Asia.

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Bugatti 3D prints world's largest functional titanium car component

The name Bugatti is associated with bleeding edge motor cars rather than 3D printing, but the company has announced that it has produced a new brake caliper that is not only the largest in the motor industry but is the largest component to be printed from titanium alloy.

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Even marginal reductions in aluminum use per component can yield significant cost savings.

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Metalen componenten efficiënt 3D-printen • Metaal Magazine

Hoe efficiënt gaat additive manufacturing om met materialen, als aluminium? Wetenschappers van het Fraunhofer-Institut für Kurzzeitdynamik, Ernst-Mach-Inst

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AUDI gives update on use of SLM metal 3D printing for the automotive industry

Metal additive manufacturing specialists, the SLM Solutions Group AG has worked with fellow Germany based enterprise AUDI AG for several years now.

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We are ready and we hope to see you this afternoon!

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As you can see from the yellow parts, technology is everywhere in a production process. Since SLM is our chosen manufacturing technology we deepened our knowledge about this and each of the supporting parts of the process. To explain the impact of SLM we will also use this model at the information market next Friday.

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Did you know..

.. many different metals can be printed with SLM?

During our research we found out that the following metals can be used for metal additive manufacturing:

Aluminium AlSi12 Cobalt Chrome Alloy  ASTM75 Nickel alloy ln718 Tool Steel H13 Stainless steel 316  L Stainless steel  17-4PH Titanium alloy  Ti6Al4V Titanium Alloy  Ti6Al7Nb Titanium CP Inconel 718 Inconel 625

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5W2H on metal additive manufacturing at AAE bv

What?

               In 2016 AAE decided to acquire a metal additive manufacturing machine, the SLM 280. Not only do they produce components, they also offer tailor-made solutions for customers.

Why?

               AAE is an advanced high-end machine and equipment manufacturer, and they believe investing in new high-end manufacturing techniques and equipment is a solid base for continuing and expanding their business. In recent years there have been significant technological advancements in metal additive manufacturing. To maintain their front runner position, AAE acquired this technique, so they will have sufficient in-house knowledge for when the market matures.

Where?

               AAE is located in Helmond, and are operating on international level.

When?

               AAE has been using the machine since the acquisition in 2016. However, they are still learning and the market doesn’t seem to be quite ready yet, as the demand is still low. It is expected the market growth will increase exponentially in the following years. Therefore AAE will continue to improve their level of expertise, so they will be ready when the market is ready.

Who?

               Since 2014, Business Unit Manager Roy Janssen has been responsible for the acquisition and thereafter the use of the machine, Joost van Bussel did research. Van Bussel later handed down his role to Jeroen Kox, Engineer, who is now responsible for engineering solutions for customers. Roy Boumans programs the machine.

How?

               First, AAE enters a dialogue with customers to find a solution for their problem. When they found a solution AAE evaluates if the problem can be solved using the metal printer. They assess This mainly on the basis of costs and the impossibility to produce the component via conventional machining techniques. If they choose to use the metal printer, Engineer Kox designs a component in Solidworks, after which the design is sent to Programmer Boumans who programs and operates the machine.

How much?

               Because of the widely varying characteristics of components, it is impossible to say what the involved expenses are to make a component. But taking into account the raw materials and the operating costs are expensive, are of high quality, and are custom made, it can be said it is a costly process

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5W2H

What?

What do we want to  research about Metal Additive Manufacturing?

The impact of Metal Additive Manufacturing on the high-tech metal industry. In particular selective laser melting.

Why?

Why do we want to research Metal Additive Manufacturing?

We are very curious about the possibilities that SLM can offer to the upcoming high-tech business.

Where?

Where will we  research Metal Additive Manufacturing?

We will use our present knowledge, previous research from group members, books,  the internet and more. We are also able to visit the company AAE to take a  look at a metal 3d-printer.

When?

When will we  research Metal Additive Manufacturing?

We made a to-do list with responsibilities and deadlines to make sure we  stick to a planning. On Monday we visited the company AAE.

Who?

Who will research  what topics? 

As posted before, we came up with five key results. Each group  member is responsible for a key result as shown below:

Key result 1: Stijn

Key result 2: Niels

Key result 3: Sander

Key result 4: Bram

Key result 5:  Geraldine

How?

How will we research  Metal Additive Manufacturing?

We use different key  results (as described in a previous post) to approach our research goal from  different perspectives. This research will be finished with an information  market, where we will present our findings and where visitors can ask  questions.

How much?

How much will it  cost in time/money?

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As shown in the picture above, we’ve made a lot of notes about our visit at AAE. It was very insightful to be able to see an SLM (Selective Laser Melting) machine up close. We had the chance to talk to an engineer (Jeroen Kox) and the programmer (Roy Boumans) of the 3D-printer. Here is a short summary of the most important findings at AAE. At the market we would love to share more about our visit at AAE! 

Selective Laser Melting is the 3D-printing method used at AAE; it is a process in which the powder is melted upon the layer beneath. AAE prints their products in 2 different materials. First of all, they use an Titanium and Aluminium alloy (TiAl6V4). Secondly, they also use Stainless Steel (316L). 

Pros for using SLM at the moment: - Weight of the printed parts: Printed parts are hollow whenever possible due to time and material savings - Complexity New possibilities in product design that weren’t imaginable with ‘conventional’ production techniques - Costs In the case of complex products, 3D-printing actually leads to cost reduction, due to a lot of operational steps not having to be done by personnel.

Cons for using SLM at the moment: - Costs: It is very expensive to 3D-print metal products. The Ti-powder for example is about €150/kg. Furthermore, energy costs for printing products are excessively high. Therefore only a small amount of specific products is currently suitable for 3D-printing.

For their Engineering Process, they use SolidWorks. Mr. Kox explained to us that there has to be a change in the thinking process in all departments to really see the true potential of 3D-printing. This mainly has to do with the way machinery and other products are being designed right now. For example: A lot of current assemblies that go into machinery can be designed into one single piece. When designers truly realise this and design with this concept in mind, this shift in thinking can lead to smaller and more durable parts due to the parts being printed in one piece. 

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Today we had the opportunity to see the technology of Metal Additive Manufacturing in action at AAE. Jeroen Kox, Engineer, gave us very insightful information about their metal 3D-printer (Selective Laser Melting), and the impact of this new machine on their production process. We were given a tour though the factory were we spoke with Roy Boumans, programmer, he was able to tell us detailed information about the machine.

We want to thank AAE and special thanks to Mr. Kox and Mr. Boumans for sharing their knowledge with us!

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Did you know there are different techniques of Metal Additive Manufacturing?

Because there are so many different techniques of Metal Additive Manufacturing, we decided to focus on the selective laser melting technique, better known as SLM. This is also the technique AAE uses, so this way we were able to find a lot of relevant and practical information.

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Learning plan

In this Knowledge Area we will search for an answer to the following learning goal/question:

What is the impact of metal additive manufacturing on the high-tech metal industry?

Therefore we have defined the following key results, which will be specified to the techniques and components that are used by AAE:

Insights in the different sorts of techniques of metal additive manufacturing.

Insights in the (new) designs of components which are possible with this technique.

A SWOT-analysis of metal additive manufacturing in the high-tech metal industry.

Insights in the supply and availability of resources.

Insights in the differences of metal additive manufacturing in comparison to molding/milling/etc.