Aditive Manufacturing-may 2014

M A Y 2 0 1 4

Redesign

the Part,

Remove

the Weight

A Supplement to

Modern Machine Shop &

MoldMaking Technology

0514AM_Cover.indd 1 4/15/2014 2:09:29 PM

Renishaws laser melting system is a

pioneering process capable of producing

fully dense metal parts direct from 3D CAD.

From tooling inserts featuring conformal

cooling, to lightweight structures

for aerospace and high technology

applications, laser melting gives designers

more freedom, resulting in structures

and shapes that would otherwise be

constrained by conventional processes

or the tooling requirements of volume

production. It is also complementary to

conventional machining technologies, and

directly contributes to reduced lead times,

tooling costs and material waste.

Shorten development timebe f rst to

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Reduce waste and costbuild only what

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Unlock the potential of Additive Manufacturing

build tomorrow

Renishaw Inc Hoffman Estates, IL www.renishaw.com/additive

Scan here to nd out more

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0213 Renishaw_Digital.indd 1 1/18/13 3:23 PM

Con t e n t s

M A Y 2 0 1 4

AdditiveManufacturingInsight.com May 2014 1

04 08

02 Something to Add Is AM the New Enabling Technology?

F E A T U R E S

04 Learning Curve A manufacturer that has succeeded for three

generations expects additive manufacturing to be

part of the reason why it will succeed in the fourth.

By Peter Zelinski

08 Cracking the Code to Growth in AM In this companys view, it takes more than machines

on the shop foor to push additive manufacturing to

the next level.

By Christina Fuges

14 Product News

15 News from AMTThe Association For Manufacturing Technology

ABOUT THE COVER: AM can bring complex geometries even to simple parts. Giving this

formerly solid nut a lattice structure delivered significant weight savings. Read about a

manufacturer pursuing opportunities such as this on page 4.

PUBLISHER

Travis Egan

[email protected]

EDITORS

Peter Zelinski

[email protected]

Christina Fuges

[email protected]

ASSISTANT EDITOR

El McKenzie

[email protected]

MANAGING EDITOR

Kate Hand

[email protected]

ART DIRECTOR

Aimee Reilly

[email protected]

ADVERTISING MANAGER

William Caldwell

[email protected]

0514AM_TOC.indd 1 4/15/2014 2:11:29 PM

2 AM Supplement

Something to Add

2 AM Supplement

Is AM the New Enabling Technology?Additive manufacturing can move industrial arts to digital manufacturing

and into the hands of the next-generation workforce.

Christina M. Fuges

Editor

We need to attract a future generation of skilled

workers, and we want that future generation to

be motivated to fll the gap that exists and then

maintain a level of job satisfaction. Additive

manufacturing (AM) may be able to attract and

satisfy just such workers.

Recently, I discussed this issue with Scott

Simenson, program director of Information &

Telecommunication Technology for Minnesota

State Colleges and Universities and director of

the Digital Fabrications Lab at Century College

(century.edu), and Jim Mishek, chairman of

Vistatek (vistatek.com). I came away with some

interesting perspectives.

First, there are two main motivators for job

satisfaction (at least according to Frederick

Herzbergs two-factor theory): the work itself and

the recognition. Surprisingly, money is not a top

motivator. Following this theory, lets take a look

at the role additive manufacturing can play.

AM is the new enabling technology. It al-

lows you to create, touch, feel, show or fx

almost any shape. For the motivation of a future

manufacturing professional, this is particularly

signifcantwhat could be more fulflling than

holding a fnished product that you created? So,

how do we teach this new way of manufacturing

to the next generation?

For one thing, todays shop classes need to

be transformed into next-generation labs that

merge computational technology with manu-

facturing technologysimilar to the digital

fabrication lab concept created by Neil

Gershenfeld, director of The Center of Bits and

Atoms at MIT (fab.cba.mit.edu). These labs can

provide access to a variety of technologies that

enable production of an end product, including

CAD and desktop manufacturing technologies.

In this context, AM plays a pivotal role in

advancing what students are learning, in both a

theoretical and applied fashion. It represents a

whole new sphere in technology-based educa-

tion. It helps students understand the difference

between a 2D and a 3D world. They can con-

ceive products and ideas better, and they can

test and prototype quicker.

However, just as manufacturers have dis-

covered the real-world value of additive and

subtractive manufacturing working together, that

same value should be refected in manufactur-

ing education, especially at the high school and

college levels. You cant present AM alone; it

must be taught alongside subtractive methods.

3D printers are certainly attracting the next

generation, but will they be able to keep them

engaged in manufacturing? Its evident they

provide a clear look at how something can be

made, but they do not provide a clear under-

standing of the entire manufacturing process.

Only using subtractive and additive together

can achieve that.

The curriculum needs to change, too, incor-

porating everything from engineering and CAD

to problem-solving and project management. On

top of that, an integral part of education is get-

ting students into a manufacturing facility to see

frsthand the people, technology and processes

that come together to make all the products we

use today. The excitement of 3D printing only

goes so far without its real-world application.

0514AM_Something to Add.indd 2 4/15/2014 2:12:41 PM

The LUMEX Avance-25, the worlds first and only metal laser

sintering hybrid milling machine, provides one-machine, one-process

manufacturing of complex molds and parts. It offers a 65 percent

reduction in manufacturing time and a 50 percent cost reduction

compared to traditional milling. CAD/CAM software is used to build

conformal cooling channels and vent points, which eliminates hotspots,

shrinkage and warpageresulting in the most consistently accurate parts.

For more information, visit MCMachinery.com/additive

THINKDIFFERENTLYBREAK THE MOLD WITH ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Complex Geometry:

conformal cooling channels

for internal features

Variable Density:

gas venting/gas assist

Layer Machining:

deep slot machining

eliminates EDM

Profile Machining:

achieve high precision

finished parts

Cost Saving:

reduce mold

construction time

0514 Mitsubishi.indd 1 4/15/14 10:52 AM

4 AM Supplement

F E A T U R E By Peter Zelinski

Christian M. Joest, owner and President

of Imperial Machine & Tool Co., had no

delusions about additive manufacturing.

Last year, the New Jersey contract manufacturing

company bought its frst additive manufacturing

machine for production metal parts: a selective

laser melting system from SLM Solutions. Even

as he was committing to the purchase, Joest was

telling employees, We will probably lose our

shirts on this machine for a while.

Thats OK. Thanks in part to a variety of long-

term customer relationships, Imperial has the

strength and the stability to wait out, and even

confront, what Joest sees as the big problems still

facing additive manufacturing today. One of those

problems is that the technology is immature. In the

future, he expects the equipment for making parts

through additive layers to be faster, cheaper, more

The nut shown above is about as big as the palm of a mans

hand. In its previous version, the nut was solid. The redesigned

version looks the same on the outside, but consists of a lattice

structure on the inside. This new design, with threads added,

will be used multiple times in the assembly of the M777

howitzer. The resulting weight savings will allow engineers to

improve the capabilities of the gun.

4 AM Supplement

Learning CURvE

repeatable and more capable than it is today. He

also expects its application to be much better un-

derstood. The resulting difference could be as great

as the difference between early portable phones

and the smartphones of today. All of us currently

doing additive manufacturing might be using the

bag phone version of this technology, he says.

The other problem is that the market is imma-

ture. The demand for production metal parts made

through additive manufacturing is still so small as

A manufacturer that has succeeded

for three generations expects additive

manufacturing to be part of the reason

why it will succeed in the fourth.

One year into its investment in the

technology, here is the companys

experience so far.

0514AM_Feature 1.indd 4 4/15/2014 2:13:48 PM


to be effectively zero, he says. The manufacturer

therefore has to create the demand instead. That

is, the manufacturer has to obtain the additive

production capability frst, then set about educat-

ing potential customers about the ways they can

beneft from the capability.

This is precisely the course Imperial has

taken. Despite the problems, Joest says the

reason for taking this course now is because

additive manufacturing is the future. He has little

doubt. The two problems described above are

temporary and small compared to the promise

additive manufacturing offers to save cost and

improve the designs of manufactured products.

Joest wants Imperial to help its customers start

realizing the benefts of additive manufactur-

ing today, in part because this third-generation

business owner fully expects Imperial to continue

to advance and succeed under the fourth-gen-

eration leadership of his son, Christian G. Joest.

Getting thereremaining in a position to answer

customers most pressing manufacturing needs

will mean mastering additive manufacturing.

In this, Imperial does have a leg up. The

company leader says some of the attributes

distinct to his particular manufacturing business

position it well for moving ahead with additive

The selective laser melting machine is

Imperials frst step into production through

additive manufacturing. The company is

seeking demand by talking to its customers

about the technologys potential value.

technology. Not the least of those advantages is

the emphasis on long-term relationships.

Long View

The move toward seeking and serving regular, es-

tablished, long-term customers is perhaps the most

signifcant change that Imperials current president

has made to the company during the tenure of his

leadership. The goal Joest has followed for years is

to make Imperial the go-to manufacturing resource

for key customers that will return again and again.

Today, the manufacturer gets just about all of its

business from 15 companies and defense-related

government entities. It routinely turns down short-

term work that does not promise to turn into lasting

business, because the short-term work would

distract it from serving the long-term customers.

This model is valuable for additive manu-

facturing because of the inside knowledge that

comes from these relationships. Over time, the

extent of Imperials interaction with these returning

customers has given the company a depth of un-

derstanding about these organizations needs and

challenges that few manufacturing contractors

possess. Those needs and challenges provide the

opportunity. Additive manufacturing is probably

not a replacement for processes that are working

well today, but it likely does offer

the answer to many of the chal-

lenges that current processes

cant address.

A recent example involved

a well-known piece of military

artillery, the M777 howitzer.

Military engineers regularly seek

to make improvements to the

design of this gun that increase

its weight. However, the weight

of this gun is constrainedit has

to be light enough to be under-


6 AM Supplement

F E A T U R E

slung and carried by aircraft. Therefore, before

any hoped-for improvement can be made, weight

savings have to be found elsewhere on the gun.

Through additive manufacturing, Imperial was

able to deliver a new option for weight savings.

On its SLM machine, the company grew large

fastening nuts for the guns assembly that were

not solid like the existing nuts, but instead had a

honeycomb structure inside. The new nuts were

just as strong as the old ones, but half the weight.

The combined weight savings from all of the

M777 nuts produced this way gave the military

engineers freedom to add new components.

That military connection is another advantage

relevant to additive manufacturing, says Joest.

Granted, it is not a sweeping advantage, because

the military makes manufacturing changes slowly.

However, he says spare parts for military hardware

represent an area in which additive manufactur-

ing could deliver considerable value. The ability

to print these spare parts as needed, instead of

requiring depots to store either shelves

full of fnished parts or shelves full of bar and billet

stock for machining them, promises dramatic sav-

ings. The chance to also redesign some of these

parts for improved performance, as in the case

of the howitzer nuts, makes the case even more

compelling.

One other attribute of the company that favors

additive manufacturing is this: Imperials machining

area is already committed to lights-out production.

The shop is staffed only by day, routinely leaving

CNC machine tools to continue running through the

night. For example, a common practice in this shop

is to fxture a vertical machining center for the day-

time project only on the right side of the machines

table, because fxturing is kept in place on the

left side of the table that will allow the machine to

run a batch of production parts through the night.

This culture of running unattended makes additive

manufacturing a natural ft, because with cycles

times of 20 hours or more for even a moderate-size

part, additive manufacturing is inherently a lights-

out process.

Learn By Doing

Since the SLM machine arrived last year,

the Imperial employee who has been the

most directly involved in getting to know

its capabilities is Design Manager John

Shelp. He says the learning curve with

this or any metal additive manufacturing

system can be characterized in one word:

parameters. The company initially had no

idea how to work with adjustable param-

eters including laser speed, laser heat and

dwell time to account for the challenges of differ-

ent part features and the behaviors of different

materials in the additive process. It knows

much more today, but Shelp says there

was no way to achieve this understanding

except through considerable trial and error.

Fortunately, Shelp is patient, and the

company was patient about the learning

process it asked him to carry out. He says

plenty of times he would return to the machine

at the end of a cycle only to discover that the

build had been unsuccessful and the part had

Impellers are a promising ft for

additive, because custom designs

can be produced in small quanti-

ties. These parts satisfed one

prospects concern about

fnish. The as-built

part (front) is rough,

but smoother fn-

ishes are possible

through abrasive

fow (middle) and

bead blast

(back).



Seen here are Imperial team members

helping to explore additive manufacturings

promise. From left to right, they include

Business Development Manager Christian

G. Joest, President Christian M. Joest,

Design Manager John Shelp and Director

of Operations Mike Clifford.

The metal impeller here is

about 10 inches in diameter

and took 4 days to build. Its

merely a test partImperial made it

to prove its capabilities at generating large

parts. The frst try at making this part did not succeed, because

the company didnt have the parameters right. The version seen

here was cut away to confrm that the part this time had been

made successfully, without internal faws. The company also has

a polymer 3D printer that produced the scale prototype.

collapsedmeaning the only payoff from hours of

machine time was yet another opportunity to diag-

nose how to run the cycle better next time.

One large impeller took 4 days to build, and

the frst try failed to produce the part successfully.

Vanes broke under their own weight during the

cycle. In that case, the parameter that needed to

be adjusted was the speed of the augur bringing

powder to the laser. Increasing the material deliv-

ery rate allowed the cycle to generate the vanes

to the solidity required.

Experiences such as this reveal why the phrase

3D printing is something of a misnomer. In no

way is additive manufacturing

as easy to apply as a com-

puters desktop printer, Shelp

says.

Now, Imperial has ascended much of that

learning curve related to process parameters, but

success is throwing the company another curve.

The next set of challengeslooming soonrelate

to production volume.

Full Production

Though Joest predicted the company would

lose money on additive manufacturing for

a period of time, that period might already

be near an end. Testing related to a cus-

tomers still-secret production possibility has

gone well, he says. The customer sees value in

producing a certain small, high-volume compo-

nent through an additive process. Joest says that

if this job goes forward, then additive manufactur-

ing would become proftable for Imperial, but the

company would then be committed to producing

hundreds of these small pieces at a time in one

additive cycle after another.

One seemingly simple issue arising from

this prospect is actually a signifcant challenge.

The SLM machine builds parts by layering them

onto a build plate that serves as the anchor for

the process. Once the build is complete, what

is an effcient way to cut all of those hundreds of

pieces off of the plate? A fnely precise method

is needed, but EDM probably wont be fast

enough to be practical, he says. This is yet an-

other question for which there are no established

answers, because additive production is so new.

Therefore, Imperial will fnd the answer. Stay

tuned, Joest says.

0514AM_Feature 1.indd 7 4/16/2014 10:35:28 AM

8 AM Supplement

F E A T U R E By Christina Fuges

It takes more than machines on the shop foor to push additive manufacturing

to the next level. According to one manufacturer, it takes customer service,

education and training, too.

Master the machine technology. Check.

Identify a market focus. Check. Establish

yourself as a knowledge center. Check.

Educate every customer on how to create a Center

of Excellence. In progress.

Thats the next step in the Linear Mold & Engi-

neering business model: be an innovative leader in

tool building and part manufacturing using additive

manufacturing (AM) technology. Linear says its

mission, through its Centers of Excellence, is to

educate more and more organizations on how to

truly take advantage of AM. That is where the com-

pany gains a return on its own AM investment.

Two years ago we introduced you to Linear

and its use of direct metal laser sintering (DMLS)

to grow tooling inserts with cooling lines already

designed inside, achieving maximum part quality

and lower costs (short.moldmakingtechnology.

com/linear0212). Linear also makes end-use

parts through AM. For these two applications,

it has identied two paths forward. In terms of

conformal cooling, the company seeks to supply

Cracking the Code to

0514AM_Feature 2.indd 8 4/15/14 4:18 PM


these inserts to other moldmakers. In production,

it hopes to supply entire processes to customers.

Keeping Control and ConcentrationSince 2012, increasing market demand for AM,

along with Linears focus on getting the word out

and putting boots on the ground to educate the

industry, have combined to spur the companys

growth.

Two years ago, Linear had three EOSINT M

270 laser sintering machines from EOS GmbH and

was looking at adding a fourth. Today, the com-

pany owns those four M 270 machines (that build

with cobalt chrome, Inconel 625/718, maraging

steel and stainless steels), two EOSINT M 280 ma-

chines (that build with aluminum, cobalt chrome,

Inconel 25/718, maraging steel, stainless steels

and titanium) and one SLM 280 selective laser

melting machine from SLM Solutions GmbH (that

builds with aluminum and titanium), and plans for

An integral part of Linears

additive manufacturing

training is the opportunity

for participants to work

side-by-side with experienced

professionals. By shadowing

expert technicians, they learn

techniques that otherwise

cannot be mastered through

traditional classroom train-

ing. Participants watch and

learn how to operate and

maintain the 3D metal print-

ing machines in real-world

situations.

LEFT: A Linear Additive Manufacturing (AM) training session

includes courses covering a variety of topics from design pos-

sibilities and limitations to post-fnishing processes. Clients

can choose from a 2 -day or an extended 4 -day course,

offering lectures, discussions, real-world examples and hands-

on demonstrations where participants build their own parts

led by experienced professionals.

This part demonstrates Linears ability to optimize complex

build processes. By combining engineering expertise and

sophisticated software with AM, parts that would be diffcult

or impossible to build are commonplace. AM tackles issues

such as complex geometry, varying wall thicknesses and tight

dimensional tolerances.

two more machine acquisitions in 2014. It also has

11 CNC machining centers, various other machine

tools and nine injection molding machines.

We are a traditional tooling manufacturer that

also provides AM, says Lou Young, Linears direc-

tor of new business development for tooling and

manufacturing. These two worlds come together

under conformal cooling. We sell AM through the

manufacture of conformal-cooled inserts.

Traditionally manufactured tooling accounts

0514AM_Feature 2.indd 9 4/15/14 4:18 PM

10 AM Supplement

F E A T U R E

10 AM Supplement

for the highest percentage of the companys

business, followed equally by plastic parts manu-

facturing and AM. However, a shift is taking place.

AM sales have skyrocketed each of the last two

years, and Linear is projecting its AM sales to

match the companys tooling sales within the next

three to four years.

A solid conformal cooling foundation, based on

expertise in tool building and plastic parts manu-

facturing, has been the key to Linears growth in

AM. So much so that it is the companys fastest

growing additive manufacturing segment.

Conformal cooling at Linear has changed quite

a bit in the past two years. On top of its additional

machine technology, fnite element analysis (FEA)

has allowed Linear to get more aggressive with

water line design without ruining the integrity of its

inserts.

As you try to squeak water lines into the tight-

est areas possible, you run the risk of getting them

too close to the parts surface where they might fail

under molding pressure, so we run FEA analysis

in those cases to check stresses on the actual tool

itself, Young explains.

How the inserts are processed has been

streamlined in the past two years as well. We have

more wire EDM equipment on the foor to fnish the

inserts as they come off the machines, he says.

Shown here is a tooling insert with conformal cooling lines

inside. A cross-sectional of this insert would show the

unique cooling line designs that have been formulated to

speed up the cooling process. When in-

serted into a tool, this faster cooling

insert will greatly reduce cycle

time and improve overall

part quality.

Linears mold simulation process, which is used

to show customers the benefts of conformal cool-

ing, has advanced, too, landing the company new

business. We take a customers existing produc-

tion job, with its tool design and current molding

parameters, and run a mold simulation with those

exact parameters, tool design and conventional

water lines, Young explains. This establishes a

baseline in the simulation software. From there we

construct a conformal cooling water line design

with that same tool and run it with the exact same

parameters. Both simulation results usually yield a

job the next day.

By running simulations with existing tools and

parts in production, Linear establishes a baseline

and then shows the customer what could be. Its

approach proves that simulations applied in the real

world work.

By leveraging our equipment and experience,

we are able to help customers maximize the ben-

efts of conformal cooling, which include reduced

cycle times, increased plant capacity, minimized

scrap, a widened process window, noted quality

improvements and improved fexibility in water line

designs, Young notes.

Linears strategy for growing the tooling side of

its business is not necessarily to build more molds.

Rather, it wants to supply conformal-cooled inserts

to every tool shop in the country.

We dont want to build 1,000 molds a year,

Young says. We want to build the conformal-cooled

inserts for those 1,000 molds a year. We want to

help tool shops understand and use the technology,

design the water lines, and run the simulations and

FEA analyses on the tooling inserts.

When it comes to plastic parts manufacturing,

Linear is using its conformal cooling knowledge to

make the company a better parts manufacturer.

According to Young, one of the biggest drivers

for conformal cooling so far this year has been

molders desire to increase plant capacity without

adding additional equipment.

For years, conformal coolings best-known

advantage has been cycle time reduction and the

resulting piece-price savings. However, Linear

lately has been working with many large companies



Parts grown using the direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process are used within the aerospace, defense,

consumer, medical, dental, automotive and agriculture markets. These parts are great examples of how AM is the

process to use for rapid prototyping and low production runs.

whose emphasis is not on piece-price reduction

but rather on capacity, and this is where conformal

cooling comes into play.

You pick up any plastics trade magazine

today, and youll read how they cant make injection

molding machines fast enough, Young points out.

So, if you are able to reduce your cycle time by

30 percent on tools hanging in presses 24 hours a

day, youll gain 8 hours of capacity on each press

without having to buy another press. Conformal

cooling helps make that happen by allowing you to

reach the end-of-cycle temperature quicker.

For the 3D metal printing portion of its business,

Linear is taking more of a market focus in 2014. The

company is looking not just at overall growth, but at

growth in individual markets as well. Its strategy is

to show customers tangible benefts such as how it

can make or save them money. The high-value busi-

ness that Linear is chasing involves opportunities

to help customers with supply chain optimization,

spare parts reduction and part redesign.

Creating Centers of Excellence Linear believes it has also cracked the code when

it comes to moving AM forward: knowledge shar-

ing. The company has chosen not to hide or hoard

the technology, but has established itself as a

knowledge center, creating Centers of Excellence

(COE) to guide customers so they too can take

advantage of AM technology.

A COE is where we provide our customers

with a low-risk, turnkey service that includes AM

equipment, personnel, maintenance, best prac-

tices training and technical support to help them

duplicate on their site what we do at Linear every

day, explains Bruce Colter, the companys director

of new business development in additive manufac-

turing. It is this philosophy that has helped Linear

position itself as a leader and innovator, and stay

several steps ahead of its competition.

Heres How the COE Model Works

The Centers of Excellence are supported by Linear


12 AM Supplement

F E A T U R E

12 AM Supplement

Technical Services (LTS), a division of Linear that

offers each customer COE fve support compo-

nents: equipment, talent, training, consulting and

priority parts shipping.

Equipment is consigned to the customers

site, but technology investment without the train-

ing is seen as a waste, so Linear offers access

to personnel educated on all of its processes

and comprehensive training. This includes train-

ing on all AM considerations, from concept to

production. (If standard training does not meet a

customers requirements, LTS also can develop

a course or a set of modular courses tailored to

specifc needs. A custom course might include

a combination of topics pulled from several stan-

dard courses or specialized material.) Training

is followed up by consulting services that help

to establish best practices specifcally for the

customers facility and with 24/7 on-call services

by a Linear expert. The COE program, which

typically lasts three years, is intended to enable

industrial-strength sand cores, mold

packages and functional metal partsdirectly from CAD fles.

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the customer to begin making parts in days

versus months.

Once Linear has trained a customer and that

customer realizes its full potential, it likely wont

have the internal capacity to keep up with de-

mand, so Linears support remains in the picture.

In the end, Linears goal is to promote the benefts

of the AM technology and enhance its customers

market position, Colter maintains.

A COE is designed to help engineers and

designers internally design for the AM process. It

moves their minds to think in different ways and

provides an onsite resource to help them rede-

sign their supply chain with a new manufacturing

dimension, he says.

Market analysis reports that the potential of

the AM marketplace will be $612 billion over

the next decade, so our challenge is fguring out

how to meet the demand, Colter adds. For that,

we want the customer to think sintered parts, not

stamped and welded parts.


More than a 3D printing seminar,

this workshop will focus on

industrial applications of

additive technologies for making

functional components and

end-use production parts.

Hear presentations from

industry leaders.

Discover the unique advantages additive

manufacturing brings to production.

Network with industry peers.

See additive manufacturing machines

in action in the IMTS exhibit hall.

Be a part of this

emerging technology!

WORKSHOP

AT

GLOBAL PRESENTERS

Register NowSeptember 9, 2014

McCormick Place Chicago, IL

PLATINUM SPONSOR

Learn more at additivemanufacturinginsight.com

AMWorkshop14_mms_full.indd 1 4/15/14 4:26 PM

Product News

14 AM Supplement

3D Printing Produces Lighter but Stronger Bicycle Frame

Renishaw has collaborated with British bicycle company

Empire Cycles to create what is said to be the worlds

frst 3D-printed metal bike frame, built on

Renishaws AM250 additive manufacturing

system.

Empire designed the mountain

bike to be stronger and lighter, using a

process called topological optimiza-

tion. Topological optimization

software uses iterative steps

and fnite element analysis

to determine logical

material placement.

Design, construction and

performance advantages

Team Will Develop Large-Scale AM System

The Department of Energys Oak Ridge National Laboratory

is partnering with machine tool manufacturer Cincinnati

Inc. to develop a large-scale additive manufacturing

system capable of printing polymer components as much

as 10 times larger than can currently be produced and at

speeds 200 to 500 times faster than existing AM machines.

A prototype machine is in development that incorpo-

rates AM technology with the machine base of Cincinnati

Inc.s gantry-style laser cutting system. The research team

then plans to integrate a high-speed cutting tool, pellet feed

mechanism and control software for additional capabilities.

ornl.gov / e-ci.com

New Metals Suited for AM

EOS has expanded its materials

portfolio to include two new metal

alloys: EOS Titanium Ti64ELI and

EOS StainlessSteel 316L.

EOS Titanium Ti64ELI is a light

alloy that is corrosion-resistant and

biocompatible, making it particularly suited for the manu-

facture of medical implants. EOS StainlessSteel 316L also

is corrosion-resistant, biocompatible and well-suited for

medical use, but it also can be used in the manufacture

of watches, jewelry and eyeglass frames, and in the aero-

space industry. Parts manufactured from this alloy can be

mechanically post-processed or polished. eos.info

Laser Melting System Offers

Large Build Envelope

Developed jointly with the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser

Technology, Concept Lasers X line 1000R laser melting

system offers a build envelope of 630 400 500 mm

for the manufacture of large, functional components and

technical prototypes. Its key component is a high-per-

formance, 1,000-W laser that the company says enables

increased productivity over other laser melting systems.

Intended for both automotive and aerospace applica-

tions, the large-format system can deliver construction

speeds as fast as 65 cm/hr. compared with build rates

of 10-15 cm/hr. on comparable systems, the company

says. Quality management modules like QMcoating and

QMmeltpool are said to maintain component quality.

concept-laser.de

of the additive process include blending complex shapes

or hollow structures with internal strengthening features,

fexibility to make design improvements right up to the

start of production, and the conve-

nience of making one-off parts as

easily as batches, which allows for

customization. The bikes tita-

nium alloy frame, which is

about 33 percent lighter

than the original alumi-

num alloy frame, was

manufactured in sections

and bonded together.

renishaw.com

empire-cycles.com

0514AM_Products.indd 14 4/15/2014 2:17:52 PM


Realizing Benefts: Enablers for AM

By Tim Shinbara, Technology Director, AMTTe Association For Manufacturing Technology

Tere is an abundance of media outlets that speak

to additive manufacturing (AM)/3D printing (3DP)

as an inherent enabler to the manufacturing industry.

However, there are also enablers for AM to be fully

realized and more pervasively accepted. If one could

draw a path from todays capabilities to what AM is

being touted as providing tomorrow, you could identify

both obstacles and enablers. Tat discussion space

could be divided into three areas: materials, processing

and economics.

Materials: As AM emerged, the industry generally

borrowed its raw materials from pre-existing supply

chains, primarily injection molding and powder metal-

lurgy, and subsequently conditioned such material

for AM processing. Terefore, an obstacle today is to

prepare and optimize a given material system to a given

technology. Instead a more advantageous approach

would be to optimize the incoming materialand its

supply chainfor AM processing. Creating an AM-

specifc supply chain would provide more consistency

for incoming raw material, as well as creating a more

afordable material ofering. Te enablers seem to be

synergistic between increases in demand (via awareness)

and serious consideration from the material industry.

Tere continues to be further development in standard-

ized material screening and preparation methodologies1

that promotes consistency and also may reduce the

time to use new materials, including means to process

varying levels of recycled materials2.

Processing: Materials may have a signifcant role

in advancing the level of pervasive acceptance of AM

products, but a certain showstopper is insufcient

quality or an unreliable manufacturing process. Tere

are some AM processes, such as vat photopolymer-

ization, that incorporate well-understood processing

knowledge with sufciently high levels of reliability;

however, this is not the case for all methods. Te

obstacles regarding processing seem to involve thermal

management whether within the preexisting consol-

idated materials or at point of consolidation. Basic

research3 has shown high correlations, and in

many cases causation, between maintaining

certain processing conditions (e.g. energy

density for melt pool geometries) and the

quality of part attributes (e.g. surface fnish

and density). Potential enablers could be

advanced algorithms that map processing

conditions/parameters to intended part

properties where these maps may be applied

to any material system and AM process

technology4.

Economics: Tere have been preliminary,

albeit confdential, business case studies that

evaluate part quantities produced against

part complexity. Such graphs efectively

show an economic sweet spot for AM parts

in the quadrant of low-to-medium quanti-

ties with medium-to-high complexities.

Tis has become a bit pedestrian in most

Scanning electron microscopy of pits and particles due to process

variances.5

0514AM_AMT.indd 15 4/15/2014 2:18:36 PM

16 AM Supplement

Article continued

from page 15.

By Whitney Brown, Media Communications Manager,

AMTTe Association For Manufacturing Technology

In the world of additive manufacturing, some pretty

amazing things have been 3D-printedbut what about

the entire body of a car? Some independent automakers

have printed certain parts and incorporated them

into their designs. However, designing and printing the

major elements of the exterior, the structure and the

interior had yet to be attempted. Until now.

Local Motors, an automotive start-up in Chandler,

Ariz., partnered with IMTSthe International

Manufacturing Technology Show to build the Rally

Fighter on the show foor in 2012 in less than a week.

For IMTS 2014, the company has taken on a more

difcult projectbuilding and delivering the frst

direct digital manufactured vehicle. And on top of

that, it will be fully electric.

Designed by the companys global community

and built using the material science and advanced

manufacturing techniques available at the Manufac-

turing Demonstration Facility (MDF) at Oak Ridge

National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee, Local

Motors will produce an electric vehicle purpose-built

for Chicagos urban transportation needs.

IMTS is the perfect venue on which to showcase

the next evolution of Local Motors World of Vehicle

Innovations, says Local Motors CEO Jay Rogers.

To deliver the frst co-created, locally-relevant,

3D-printed vehicle on an international stage dedicated

to celebrating cutting-edge manufacturing technology

is powerful reinforcement of our commitment to

driving the third Industrial Revolution.

Built in the Emerging Technology Center during the

week of IMTS 2014, the fnished vehicle will be used as

an example of how sustainable green technologies can

reduce life-cycle energy and greenhouse gas emissions,

lower production cost, and create new products and

opportunities for high paying jobs.

For more information on the project and the

Emerging Technology Center, visit IMTS.com/etc.

A 3D-printed Car

Comes to IMTS 2014

commentators list of top benefts. However, there are

still economic obstacles for end-use readiness due to

cost and time for post-processing AM parts. Whether

it may be fnishing, heat treatment or other post-pro-

cessing eforts, the additional costs for post-processing

may erode the original business case for AM. Enablers for

AM economics are multi-faceted. Areas of new develop-

ments are in automating fxtures and reference points

into the original part model design to provide a seamless

transition between AM and traditional post-processing

capabilities. Others are meeting fnal requirements by

modeling features based on as-built conditions (e.g.

surface fnish, density, etc.) to eliminate the need for any

further post-processing eforts.

Institutes such as America Makes are making

headway in some of these areas, as are university and

national labs. Te private sector continues to make

new breakthroughs with clear transition paths. Te

AM industry continues to evolve and mature as such

resources, motivations and applications abound.

For more information about additive technologies,

contact Tim Shinbara at [email protected]

or 703-827-5243.

References:1 Cooke, April, et al. Properties of Metal Powders for Additive Manufacturing: A Review of the State of the Art of Metal Powder Property Testing. NISTIR 78773 (2013).

2 Carroll, P.A., et al. University of Manchester, et al Te Efects of Powder Recycling in Direct Metal Laser Deposition on Powder and Manufactured Part Characteristics. RTO ATV-139. 18-1. Web. March 27, 2014.

3 Te University of Texas Austins Solid Freeform Fabrication (SFF) Symposium for further investigation:

4 Beuth, Jack, et al. Process Mapping for Qualifcation Across Multiple Direct Metal Additive Manufacturing Processes. Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium (2013). Web. March 27, 2014.

5 Gong, Haijun, et al. Te Efects of Processing Parameters on Defect Regularity in Ti-6Al-4V Parts Fabricated By Selective Laser Melting and Electron Beam Melting. Solid Freeform Fabri-cation Symposium (2013). Web. March 27, 2014. Te University of Louisville found that particles are formed by the molten materials which are ejected from melt pool due to recoil force of the evolving vapor; phenomenon which may be better managed with process controls.

0514AM_AMT.indd 16 4/15/2014 2:19:01 PM

0514 AMT-GFMC.indd 1 3/27/14 11:20 AM

Come together.

Leave your mark.

COME

TOGETHER.

LEAVE

INFORMED.

earLy BIrD PrICINg eNDS auguSt 8 ImtS.Com

Where else can you meet the minds that are moving manufacturing

forward? Nowhere but IMTS 2014. With a focus on success through

cooperation, the week will be flled with technology, education, and

ideas that we can all beneft from. Join us at McCormick Place Chicago,

September 813, 2014. Learn more at IMTS.com.

DaN FLaNNery

Sr. Engineer II

BorgWarner

yearS atteNDINg ImtS

2

goaL For ImtS 2014

Each year I have attended, IMTS has always

succeeded in gathering the best manufacturing

technologies from around the world. I am certain

that trend will continue this year. In engineering,

there are always barriers to overcome. I look to

IMTS to fnd new ways to solve those problems

or better yet, prevent them.

0514 IMTS.indd 1 4/3/14 2:29 PM

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Aditive Manufacturing-may 2014