Top business benefits
The manufacture of 100% dense metal parts
Hardware cost 50% to 75% lower than existing solutions
Zero material wastage when using metal wire as the feed
Flexible - use with multiple metals in either wire or powder form
Combine with CNC machinery, robotic arms & gantry systems
In more detail
Full description
The patented and exclusive metal 3D printing technology is based on laser metal deposition (LMD), but it also offers unique features which make the machines truly disruptive in terms of cost and efficiency. The result is 100% dense metal parts made of any material commonly used in welding. For example, parts can be quickly and easy manufactured in the following metals:
titanium,
steel (multiple alloys),
copper,
aluminium,
Inconel,
The acquisition cost of the hardware is about 50% to 75% lower than existing 3D metal technologies, and material cost is up to 10 times lower as standard welding supplies can be used. We believe this technology is a game changer and will definitely break the access barrier to metal 3D printing for the Oil and Gas service industry and OEM manufacturers worldwide.
The challenge
Sourcing, producing, repairing and modifying metal parts can be a significant challenge for engineers at remote oil and gas installations.
Machining new parts from metal billets, is both time consuming and expensive in terms of materials and machinery.
3D metal printing is a game changer, however past limitations with the technology in terms of cost and scale of application have meant it has not been widely adopted within the Oil and Gas industry. This leading technology now brings all the benefits of printing 100% dense metals parts t at a fraction of the cost of previous solutions.
The approach
The multi-laser head (0.6-6 kw) is the core of the technology. It features three independent diode lasers, although more lasers can be added if more power is required. It’s capable of fabricating parts with metal wire, metal powder or with wire and powder at the same time, without changing the configuration of the printer.
This allows clean and safe operation with 100% material utilisation with metal wire, but also adds the capability to mix alloys on the fly with metal powder, which makes it possible to get material combinations impossible to obtain with traditional welding methods.
The printing takes place within an argon chamber which requires only a small amount of gas, or in an open atmosphere with just nozzle argon shield gas coverage.
The deposition head is fairly compact: 150mm (W/D) x 265mm (H). The outer dimensions of the printer are also quite small compared to existing metal 3D printers currently on the market (550x600x1400 mm), but with a remarkable build size of 150x200x450mm. However, this build size limitation disappears with engine modules, which can be combined with CNC machinery, robotic arms and workshop gantry systems.
