Desktop Metal has been awarded Phase I of a three-year, $2.45 million project from the Department of Defense (DoD) to develop an additive-manufacturing (AM) process capable of mass producing cobalt-free hardmetals developed by the U.S. Army. The company’s Production System with single-pass jetting (SPJ), a proprietary AM technology developed by Desktop Metal, will mass manufacture complex-shaped, cobalt-free hardmetal parts without tooling. It is expected to lead to the development of a dual-use technology with numerous applications for the DoD as well as in the civilian sector, including parts for the steel and aerospace industries.

Industrial Heating, during a Q&A session at FNA 2020, announced that it will support the Reshoring Initiative with a $2,500 sponsorship. The mission of the Reshoring Initiative is to bring good, well-paying manufacturing jobs back to the United States by assisting companies to more accurately assess their total cost of offshoring and to shift collective thinking from offshoring is cheaper to local reduces the total cost of ownership. As part of this new relationship, the Reshoring Initiative will provide Industrial Heating with editorial content throughout 2021.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) developed a low-cost sensor that can identify COVID-19 antibodies in approximately 10 seconds. The sensor is based on a special structure of tiny gold electrodes that are 3D printed using Optomec’s aerosol-jet process. The technology would allow clinicians to instantly and accurately detect the COVID-19 antibodies due to the specific geometry and surface characteristics of the printed structure. The test identifies two antibodies of the virus and is capable of detection even at very low concentrations through an electrochemical reaction sensed in the 3D-printed structure within a simple handheld device that interfaces with a smartphone.  

It is a well-known fact that too many recordable safety incidents will result in the good people from OSHA showing up to hang around and ask a lot of questions. Nobody wants to get hurt on the job. Everyone at the facility has some other place to be once their shift is over, and many employees have family waiting for them. With that being said, why would people continue to operate poorly maintained manufacturing equipment and material-handling machinery? 

SMS group received an order from Outokumpu for the supply of an atomization plant for the production of high-quality stainless steel powder used in additive manufacturing. The plant, which is scheduled to become operational in early 2022, will be designed for an annual production of up to 330 tons of stainless steel powder. It will include an induction melter, atomizer, two cyclones and filter elements. The powder atomization plant will be designed for the complete process to take place in an inert atmosphere.

Sintavia, LLC, a metal additive manufacturer, entered into an agreement to collaborate with Siemens Digital Industries Software on the development of an end-to-end additive-manufacturing (AM) software solution as a part of Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio. Sintavia will provide testing and technical feedback on pre-released software that will be part of future AM solutions. In exchange, Sintavia becomes a preferred AM partner of Siemens and gains access to the software in advance of the market, along with technical support for its implementation.

Quintus Technologies delivered what it says is the world’s fastest fan-driven hot isostatic press (HIP) to Italy’s PRES-X, a start-up established to meet the post-production needs of 3D-printed metal components. The HIP’s high-pressure heat-treatment (HPHT) capability makes it possible to eliminate several operations in the AM production line. With Quintus’s proprietary uniform rapid cooling (URC) technology, a cooling rate of 1500K/minute can be achieved while minimizing thermal distortion and non-uniform grain growth, producing finished 3D-printed parts with optimal material properties.

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 U.S. Air Force awarded Albuquerque, N.M.-based Optomec a $1 million contract to deliver a high-volume production metal additive-manufacturing (AM) system for refurbishing turbine engine components, including titanium parts. The equipment will have a range of capabilities, including an automation system for batch processing, an oxygen-free controlled atmosphere and an adaptive vision system. The automated metal AM system will be capable of processing tens of thousands of repairs per year, with an initial focus on tip refurbishment for turbine blades. It will be installed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City.

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.