Metal AM Summer 2018 by Inovar Communications

Industry News

GE Additive unveils Arcam EBM Spectra H GE Additive unveiled the Arcam EBM Spectra™ H, a new metal Additive Manufacturing system designed to handle high heat and crack-prone materials, at the recent RAPID + TCT 2018 show, in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. The new system, available to pre-order, will be manufactured at Arcam’s plant near Gothenburg, Sweden, with expected delivery from Q4 2018 onwards. Initially, the new system will support both TiAl and Alloy 718, with additional Ni superalloys supported from 2019. GE Additive’s materials science team is currently exploring opportunities for a wider range of high heat materials that includes nickel superalloys, tungsten, CoCr, stainless steel and metal matrix composites. The Arcam EBM Spectra H incorporates a range of new features and enhancements. An increased build speed of up to 50% has been achieved through the use of a 6 kW HV-unit, resulting in all pre- and postheating steps taking half the time of current EBM machines. Improved heat management has also been achieved through the incorporation of a moveable heat shield to keep heat in the build area, and an improved layering procedure reduces the need

for heating, saving approximately five hours for a full height build. The build volume has also been increased by around 39% compared to previous generation machines to Ø250 x 430 mm. Further machine enhancements include Arcam xQam™ automatic calibration technology, which, it is claimed, improves the position and focus accuracy and removes the need for manual calibration, reducing the process from three to four hours to fifteen minutes. This innovation will also be incorporated on the Arcam EBM Spectra H and all Qplus systems. Reducing dependency on operators and incorporating automation technologies to improve accuracy was said to be a major focus during the development of the new machine. As a result, the system offers a significantly improved and automated power handling process. An automated, self-dosing sieve and hopper filling station process has been developed and powder weight is controlled in the powder recovery station and inside the hopper filling station. Only one powder distribution set-up is required for each material and calibration of the fetch position only needs to take place during a

The new Arcam EBM Spectra H system (Courtesy GE Additive)

material change, no longer before machine start. Advanced safety features have also been incorporated into the new machine, including closed powder handling, which also maintains batch integrity and reduces the risk of contamination. As well as protecting the operator from the powder, the dust tight environment in all steps of the process maintains powder batch integrity. Removal of unwanted particles is handled by a thorough process that includes a cyclone for small and low-density particles, a sieve for coarse particles and magnetic traps. www.ge.com/additive

SLM Solutions reports new twelve-laser machine and new headquarters SLM Solutions Group AG, Lübeck, Germany, has revealed that it is developing a new twelve-laser Additive Manufacturing machine due for release towards the end of 2019. The company also announced its move to new €25 million headquarters located in Estlandring, on the outskirts of Lübeck. “The development of our SLM Cube machine with a build chamber of 600 x 600 mm and a minimum of twelve lasers is on track. We are

still confident that we will be able to present this machine in November 2019,” stated Henner Schöneborn, CTO of SLM Solutions. Incorporating a minimum of twelve lasers, it is said that the new system will mark a significant step in the evolution of AM technology. New headquarters Housing some 340 employees, the company’s new headquarters will provide a modern facility with room

SLM’s new headquarters under construction in Lübeck, Germany for further expansion. SLM Solutions has been based with its predecessor companies in Lübeck since 1957. www.slm-solutions.com

Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2018