Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing - Sept/Oct '23 - 23

PAINT AND COATINGS MANUFACTURING: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
W
hile there still might be some hesitation about
3D metal printing technology, the compound
annual growth rate (CAGR) is forecasted
at 20.84 per cent annually from 2022 to
2027. And although there have been early adopters in the
automotive, aerospace and defence industries, a KPMG study
revealed that all major OEMs have additive manufacturing
(AM) divisions or are testing AM solutions.
And this steady growth is opening new niches for those
in the metal coatings area. Understanding what these are
requires having a grasp of what AM is and what it can do.
" In 2011, additive manufacturing was what AI is right
now. It was a hot topic, " says Tobias Noack, AM application
engineer for TRUMPF. " People were thinking that it would
replace traditional manufacturing, which we now know is far
from reality. "
What 3D metal printing will do is accelerate new product
introduction, enable low volume batches, decentralise
manufacturing, and enable greater customisation for
complex, structurally engineered parts.
" Our industrial laser technology carries over to our
focus with additive, " says Adam Simons, head of additive
manufacturing sales & product at TRUMPF. " There's been a
lot of growth in the last couple of years due to the pandemic
and the need to shorten the supply chain. That was a
significant issue that this technology addressed as companies
could produce more in-house as opposed to relying on others
to produce parts for them. "
Slade Gardner, president
of Big Metal Additive, agrees.
" There are two areas we see that
are growing. One is in casting.
There are a lot of supply chain
limitations and long lead times
for castings that can be replaced
with additive manufacturing.
That segment is growing in
specific areas like valves, valve
bodies, fittings, and industrial
hardware. And the other
segment that we see growing is aerospace. It is looking to
AM for all the reasons that have been promised for so many
years-the integration of many pieces into a single integrated
component, opportunities for light-weighting and, of course,
removing fasteners and assembly steps. "
has been involved in developing AM technology for over 20
years. It offers two technologies: Laser Metal Fusion (LMF)
which is a traditional additive process that creates a new part
from scratch, and Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) which is
used for adding material to an existing part.
In 2015, TRUMPF unveiled its TRUPRINT 1000 at
FormNext, an annual AM expo in Germany. Since then it has
introduced new machines at the show including the 2000,
3000 and 5000 series.
Noack says, " Today, we're seeing a significant growth
in demand. In the US, small- or mid-form machines are our
biggest driver going to the dental industry and universities for
research and development. "
The TRUPRINT 1000 is its smallest machine, which has
a cylindrical with a 100mm diameter that allows you to build
parts up to that range. Noack says that the 2000 series builds
parts up to 200mm by 200mm tall, and TRUMPF's 3000 and
5000 series handle parts in the range of 300mm and 400mm
tall.
" We have our equipment in our lab so that customers can
provide us with a file that they're interested in printing, and
we will print it for their evaluation, " says Noack. " No one is
going to invest in a machine without prior testing, seeing what
it's capable of and if what they have in mind will actually work.
There's a lot to know about this technology and process. "
Big Metal Additive (BMA) specialises in large metal hybrid
The most commonly adopted AM
technology on the market today is
powder bed fusion, which is similar
to a welding process as it uses high
heat melting temperatures and flash
cooling to form parts layer by layer.
additive manufacturing technology to help its customers
accelerate prototyping and first
article parts. Its machines have
a large worktable of six feet by 12
feet, which allows it to produce
large metal parts for customers
seeking a variety of solutions,
from design exploration to
replacing obsolete parts.
" We communicate to our
customers that we make four
products:
prototypes,
first
articles, low-rate production and
full-rate production, " says Slade.
" It's important to differentiate between a prototype and a first
article. The prototype is the first time you make something.
It's not tested, it's not perfect, and it doesn't have adherence
to the requirements and specifications. The first article does,
but you have to make the prototype first. "
Tech Talk
The most commonly adopted AM technology on the market
today is powder bed fusion, which is similar to a welding
process as it uses high heat melting temperatures and flash
cooling to form parts layer by layer. These thin layers of
material can create complex shapes that cannot be produced
by traditional machining, forging, or casting processes.
TRUMPF, which specialises in industrial laser technology,
Another important part of the AM process, depending
on the material used, is heat treating the part as additive
materials respond differently than traditional components
made from raw material.
" Additive manufactured parts require different kinds
of heat treatment temperatures, schedules, and quenching
conditions than cast or forged parts. And then they require
different aging times and temperatures, " says Slade. " Because
it's made a layer at a time and each layer is heated to melting
September/October 2023
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Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing - Sept/Oct '23

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