Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing

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If you’re at all like me, you wonder which articles get the most attention on our website. Every year we publish over 40 feature articles, and at the end of the year we gather statistics to see which ones get the most page views. So, without further ado, here are the five most-viewed articles on www.industrialheating.com based on page views in 2022. This ranking applies only to articles published in 2022.

A non-explosible aluminum alloy feedstock for additive manufacturing (AM) has been developed that reduces the hazards associated with day-to-day handling of materials for 3D printing.

MELD Manufacturing Corp. spun off a new business, MELD PrintWorks Corp., which will utilize MELD’s patented 3D-printing technology as an additive service addressing the needs of multiple industries that struggle to get forgings, castings and other metal parts. MELD Manufacturing will continue its focus on delivery of technology through machines, training and certification. MELD PrintWorks will have a singular focus on serving customer demand for printed parts made with MELD technology. The new company, which is an independent organization with separate management and operating teams, launched in a Virginia facility separate from MELD Manufacturing’s current factory.

Fabrisonic LLC, a manufacturer specializing in 3D metal ultrasonic additive manufacturing and 3D-printing applications, moved to a 30,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in Lewis Center, Ohio. Fabrisonic has been incubated by EWI at its facility in Columbus on the campus of The Ohio State University since 2011. Business growth has driven the need for additional space to expand and make room for more employees, machines and expanded parts production. Fabrisonic also upgraded its entire IT infrastructure to a higher-security platform that meets government-sensitive data requirements.

Lockheed Martin Corp. and Sintavia LLC announced a collaboration to expand research of metal additive manufacturing (AM) opportunities as an alternative to castings and forgings. According to the companies, AM, also known as 3D printing, has the capability to improve efficiencies in existing castings and forgings supply chains and provide parts with a higher level of detail and greater design opportunities. Sintavia is an AM supplier to Lockheed Martin, supporting several programs in the manufacture and production of metal additive parts. The collaboration will explore additional AM technology areas, including laser powder-bed fusion, electron-beam-directed energy deposition and friction-stir AM.

High-temperature sintering has been proven to provide achievable increases in material properties when applied to conventional powder-metallurgy (PM) applications. As material properties and strength requirements increase, some thermal processors are transitioning from traditional sintering furnaces to high-temperature models. However, not all high-temperature sintering furnaces are created equal.

The metal-processing industry faces several challenges affecting business profitability and sustainability.

Desktop Metal received a $9 million order from a German automaker for binder-jet additive-manufacturing systems used for the mass production of powertrain components. This is the second order from the same automaker in less than 12 months, bringing the total amount of production AM systems ordered to $16.9 million to support digitally casted powertrain components for a popular car line.

GKN Aerospace will relocate its North America additive manufacturing (AM) center of excellence to the Lone Star Commerce Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The 100,000-square-foot facility will initially house research and development of laser metal deposition with wire (LMD-w) AM technology for large-scale titanium aerostructures. Early in 2023, GKN Aerospace will transfer existing equipment and personnel from Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility in Tennessee to the new site in Texas. Over the next few years, GKN Aerospace expects to transform the facility into its fourth Global Technology Center to complement existing centers in Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

This article considers the production deficits, logistics turmoil and demand surges that contributed to supply-chain disruptions that were brought into focus with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.