The additive-manufacturing (AM) process as a whole involves turning 3-D CAD files on computers into finished products layer by layer –although AM specifically relates to the construction part of that process. What happens after the printing phase has concluded also matters, however, in order to ensure that products are ready for use. 

The Open Source-Additive Scanning Implementation Strategy (OASIS) Challenge – launched by America Makes with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and GE Research – seeks the submission of open-source computer codes and algorithms to help advance laser-based powder-bed additive manufacturing (AM). The goal of this challenge is to find real solutions to an important issue facing the AM community. Results of the sample evaluation will be integrated into the America Makes National AM Roadmap and the America Makes Digital Storefront.

The disruption of supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is leading U.S. companies to rethink their manufacturing operations. We relearned an old lesson – agility is vital.

Lincotek Additive completed a state-of-the-art Additive Production Center for medical devices in its Trento, Italy, facility by installing a new high-vacuum furnace and a validated heat-treatment process specifically designed for 3D-printed titanium parts. The project – along with an expansion in lab capabilities – will triple the capacity for thermal treatment at the site.

Phillips Federal, a division of Phillips Corp., added the technologies of SPEE3D to support its Public Private Partnership (P3) and additive-manufacturing programs at Rock Island Arsenal (RIA). SPEE3D’s LightSPEE3D machine prints aluminum parts in minutes using a technology called cold-spray additive manufacturing (CSAM). It addresses many of the Army’s current readiness challenges in the field. LightSPEE3D printers work on a cold-fusion principle utilizing only compressed air, and no volatile gases or heat sources are required to bond layers together.

The BMW Group opened its new Additive Manufacturing Campus in Germany. The facility brings together production of prototype and series parts under one roof, in addition to research into 3D-printing technologies and training for the global rollout of toolless production. It will allow the BMW Group, which produced about 300,000 parts by additive manufacturing last year, to develop its position as technology leader in the utilization of additive manufacturing in the automotive industry. The campus, which was an investment of approximately $16.8 million, operates around 50 industrial systems that work with metals and plastics.

QuesTek Innovations LLC developed a stainless steel composition for powder-bed-fusion additive manufacturing (AM) for use either in the as-printed condition or with a single low-temperature heat treatment. This development allows for production of complex, high-strength stainless parts via AM that are comparable to wrought 17-4 PH but without the need for cryogenic processing or high-temperature heat treatment. According to QuesTek, a fully martensitic microstructure is achieved in the as-printed condition with its QT 17-4 powders.

Wall Colmonoy – as part of its plan to improve product development, technical support and advancement – invested approximately $627,000 in the Research & Development Laboratory at its Pontardawe-based European headquarters. The R&D Lab has developed into a fully comprehensive suite of analytical equipment for characterizing powders, including laser diffraction, chemical analysis, dry powder and fluid rheometry, and optical and electron microscopy. With a move into materials for additive manufacturing, where powder properties such as particle shape and size are often more critical, there was a need to expand analytical capabilities.

Ceramic oxides and carbides find widespread use in technologies ranging from solar cells and electronics to high-durability, impact-resistant surfaces for military and aerospace applications.

VELO3D received an order for a next-generation industrial 3D metal printer with a vertical axis of 1 meter. The system will be shipped in the fourth quarter of 2020 to precision-tool and component manufacturer Knust-Godwin, which will use it to produce parts for an oil-and-gas application. The immediate part opportunity that Knust-Godwin will address with the Sapphire printer is a part for oilfield drilling that is currently manufactured by more than five subtractive processes. Additive manufacturing enables consolidation of such traditional processes, improving part quality and part performance. According to VELO3D, a 1-meter-tall system enables industrial applications that couldn’t be built before, especially for oilfield service tools and flight hardware.