Industrial 3D printing - The new era has begun


 

The NextGenAM pilot facility currently consists of the EOS M 400-4 four-laser system for industrial 3D printing with metal materials. The system is used in combination with the peripheral solutions of the EOS Shared-Modules concept. Additionally various machines for post-processing and quality assurance are installed. The innovation about the production chain is that the individual steps and the interaction of all additive and conventional process steps are fully automated and integrated, and manual steps have been eliminated. As a result, complex, lightweight and at the same time robust components can be manufactured and the high level of automation forms the basis for profitable production going forward.

The "NextGenAM" joint project has so far demonstrated great potential for spare parts and series production in terms of manufacturing costs. The aim is to develop a pilot plant for an automated additive manufacturing process. 3D printing is thus well on its way to further establishing itself as an additional production method in the automotive and aviation sectors.

The pilot plant set-up in the NextGenAM project for automated additive manufacturing in detail, from left to right: Band saw, Kuka robot, behind it: 3D measuring station (Geometric Optical Measurement / GOM), set-up station, unpacking station, in front of it: Transport vehicle (AGV), EOS M 400-4, not in the picture: Powder Station IPM M Powder Station L from EOS.

The aim of the pilot project was to develop a next-generation digitized production line capable of producing aluminum parts for the automotive and aerospace industries much more economically than was previously possible. The successful outcome of NextGenAM: In relation to the entire production process at Premium Aerotec, the manufacturing costs could be reduced by up to 50 % compared to previous plants for 3D printing.

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(source: SPOTLIGHTMETAL)