Additive Manufacturing

FEB 2013

Modern Machine Shop and MoldMaking Technology present ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, a quarterly supplement reporting on the use of additive processes to manufacture functional parts. More at additivemanufacturinginsight.com.

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F E AT U R E will be cast or machined. For example, engine makers can modify components to optimize the flow of fuel or air, without having to make any geometric compromises because of the needs of traditional manufacturing. Plus, additive manufacturing requires no tooling or fixturing, Hockey says. This makes it economical for low volumes. Many high-value production parts are needed in quantities of only 1,000 or so per year. But he says that the greatest cost savings from additive manufacturing arguably come from reducing or eliminating assembly. A complex subassembly of 10 or more pieces fastened or welded together could be redesigned to be made as a single, solid metal piece through additive manufacturing. While this approach is not inexpensive, neither is the labor and potential for error involved in assembling a critical component. When assembly-related costs can be avoided, additive manufacturing often can deliver dramatic cost reduction while it reduces the overall part count. Machine Advantages In certain ways, the design of the Renishaw machine extends the reach of these additive DirectedÕs Erling LaSalle prepares an additive metal manufacturing machine for its next build cycle. 12— AM Supplement Directed also succeeds in additive production of plastic parts. This alignment tool used for knee surgery is tailored to CAT scan measurements of the patient. The company expects to serve production needs in metal comparable to those it is already serving in plastic. manufacturing benefits. The machine's build size is one aspect of this. Directed's Ramirez says the extra clearance in Z already has been important for various parts the company otherwise couldn't have produced additively. But another advantage of this machine design relates to the force of the blade that passes across the material with every layer of the build process. On the Renishaw machine, this blade is flexible. That detail might seem like a minor change from the harder blades of the shop's current machines, but Ramirez says this change expands the range of part designs that can be additively produced. The lower force of the flexible blade has allowed Directed to make parts with thinner walls and more delicate forms than it otherwise might. It can make more delicate supports, too. Parts produced additively sometimes are made with temporary supports that are removed when the part is complete. On the Renishaw machine, Ramirez can make these supports slender enough to be broken off by hand. On the shop's other additive metal machines, the parts' supports have to be removed through a subsequent machining setup. There is still room for improvement. He says the primary area where he expects to see the new machine get better is in the control interface. Unlike competing machines, this machine's interface

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