LASER WORLD OF PHOTONICS
horizontally, allowing it to bring the tiles to the position of the processing field when building a pyramid, for example. Te company is now faced with a series of
challenges that come with the concept, such as overlapping the scan pattern and the large amounts of powder being used to fabricate larger parts. ‘We are looking to further develop the powder recirculation system, improve the traceability and handling procedures, and extend the material portfolio; Inconel is the next alloy to come,’ Faro said. Looking to the future, the
company intends to develop industrial TLM systems that, unlike many current systems that tend to be closed off in terms of digital and physical operations, can be fully integrated into modern production environments. Adira also intends for the concept to become automated and compliant with Industry 4.0. Faro commented: ‘We see it as a potential
solution for the moulding, automotive and aeronautic industries, and are aiming to start selling the machine next year.’ Meanwhile, in the short term, Adira is
considering increasing the number of laser sources in its concept machine to reduce build times, a feature particularly important when constructing large parts that take longer to produce. Tis use of multiple lasers to increase
one laser to two lasers could increase build rates by up to 90 per cent
Switching from
productivity is a relatively new concept across the metal AM industry that presents a number of challenges to system manufacturers, in particular ensuring the lasers are operating continuously to maximise build efficiencies. Te subject of multi-laser systems and their optimisation was the focus of a presentation by Trumpf ’s Dr Damien Buchbinder, head of AM product management. According to the company,
switching from one laser to two lasers could increase build rates
by up to 90 per cent, and adding a third could increase them by an additional 80 per cent. However, while introducing a fourth laser could improve productivity even further, using this many lasers can have a negative effect on the cost-benefit of the whole system. ‘For a four-laser system a company would have to be producing thousands of parts a year,
Comparison of the output of AM systems using one versus two lasers
continuously while constantly maintaining a high fill level for it to be of any benefit,’ explained Buchbinder. ‘If this can’t be guaranteed, then the part costs will be higher than a two- or three-laser system.’ In addition to considering how the number
of lasers will affect build rates, Trumpf has also taken into account factors such as beam shape, energy distribution, laser power, beam accuracy, layer thickness and build area to identify at least 25 separate exposure strategies based on physical and economic influences that have the potential to increase AM productivity. ‘At Formnext last year we presented a system with 100 per cent overlap between
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Trumpf
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