AdvancedManufacturing.org
facturers Users Group (Chatsworth, CA), which hosts an annual five-day conference; and SME, which hosts the an- nual RAPID conference. UL also has information on its web site. EOS’ Snow said his company provides continuous train-
ing to clients to help them get the most out of their ma- chines. He advises users to work with their OEM to under- stand the technology better and learn how to optimize it.
to do additive is important,” said Ed Tackett, “The problem you have is that people have a lot of expectations about additive and if they don’t do it right then it tarnishes the whole AM for that company forever. It’s just frustrating in an emerging industry to see that happen.” While there may not be a plug-and-play infrastructure
of resources to help, there are enough to at least start a conversation before going down that road, Tackett said.
An automotive heat
exchanger made with an EOS metal AM machine.
One challenge for working with metal AM is establish-
ing a process that yields the desired results of accuracy, surface finish, and material properties, and is repeatable, Fendrick said. “This is not accomplished just through tuning the build
parameters of the machine to the specific geometry, but also assuring all outside influences are controlled dur- ing the process,” he said. “Companies have successfully designed an entire process that has accomplished this, but it is a challenge.” In other words, the challenge is to design an entire pro-
cess that will produce 10,000 parts that are exactly alike. “The machine parameters must be accessible to the
customer to adjust the process to a specific geometry,” Fen- drick said. “But there are many other outside influences that also must be considered in the design of the entire process.” “As these manufacturing companies adopt AM and bring it in house, actually having a facility that’s certified
He cautions there’s some urgency in becoming schooled in metal AM. “The time to go into metal AM is now, before we lose the competitive advantage,” he said.
Metal Hazards Experts recommend wearing heavy-duty personal
protection equipment to keep operators safe from inhal- ing powdered metal or letting it get into eyes or cuts in the skin. They also advise monitoring oxygen levels around AM machines that are in a tight or enclosed space, to guard against accidental poisoning from the inert gases that can seep out of the machines. Fire set off by a statically charged spark interacting with the powder is another risk that can be mitigated by wearing a fireproof lab coat, having a Class D fire extin- guisher that can put out metal fires, and properly dispos- ing of the machine’s filters.
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Photo courtesy of EOS North America
Spring 2016
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