Falcontech Co. Ltd., an aerospace manufacturing service provider based in China, announced plans for its Super AM Factory initiative with the targeted installation of 50 metal additive-manufacturing (AM) systems supplied by Farsoon Technologies. Falcontech is enhancing manufacturing capacity for series production by adopting more Farsoon machines to its current facility, reaching a total of 20 systems by the end of 2020. The customized large-format system has a build envelope of up to 24.4 x 24.4 x 43.3 inches (620 x 620 x 1,100 mm), which gives Falcontech a production tool for large aerospace applications.

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.

A technology developed at Graz University of Technology in Austria uses LED instead of laser sources for the additive manufacturing of metal parts. Researchers say it optimizes 3D metal printing in terms of construction time, metal-powder consumption, equipment costs and post-processing effort. Selective LED-based melting (SLEDM) is the targeted melting of metal powder using high-power LED light sources.

Sintavia LLC, a provider of metal additive-manufacturing services for the aerospace and defense industries, achieved Nadcap (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program) approval for heat treatment at both its Hollywood, Fla., and Davie, Fla., locations. According to Sintavia, it is the only company in the world with Nadcap approvals for laser additive manufacturing, electron-beam additive manufacturing and in-house heat treatment.

The ExOne Company, a provider of industrial 3D printers using binder-jetting technology, and the University of Pittsburgh partnered to develop reusable metal filters that fit into a specially designed respirator cartridge for sustainable, long-term protection against contaminants, such as COVID-19. ExOne’s binder-jetting technology is a high-speed form of 3D printing that can produce metal parts with specific porosity levels that can effectively filter out contaminants while allowing airflow.

Sheffield Forgemasters is devoting its 3D-printing facility to help protect vulnerable, frontline national health service (NHS) workers and assist in the U.K.'s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The company’s Research, Design and Technology (RD&T) department has started to produce 3D-printed components for protective visors used by NHS staff. The initiative coincides with the request of the mayor of the Sheffield City Region for South Yorkshire businesses to join the national effort and help make life-saving medical equipment during the pandemic. RD&T uses its 3D-printing output to produce models and prototypes for ultra-large, complex steel components, but – with the ability to 3D-print the visor components – the business is more than happy to play its part in assisting the fight against the pandemic.

According to Protolabs, it will soon be 3D printing parts on the largest powder-bed metal additive-manufacturing system in the world. The Minnesota-based company will add a GE Additive Concept Laser X Line 2000R machine to its production services this summer. The direct metal laser melting (DMLM) machine achieves a build volume of 31.5 inches x 15.7 inches x 19.7 inches (800 mm x 400 mm x 500 mm). The ability to additively manufacture parts of this size means that entire assemblies can be designed and printed as a single piece.

BNP Media has announced the launch of the Process Heating & Cooling Show, an interactive conference and exposition where executives and engineers from various industries – including oil and gas, electronics, pharmaceuticals, food, beverages, packaging and plastics – will learn from thought leaders and discover new technologies and trends exclusively for the process heating and cooling sectors. This new event will be held June 16-17, 2021, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.

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.

Lasertec 125 is a laser deposition welding machine with machining capabilities that meets the requirements of maintenance, repair and production applications for large-scale parts.