To bring additive manufacturing (AM) for metal and alloy processing to an industrial level, Germany-based
ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH has succeeded in building the world’s largest electron-beam powder bed fusion (E-PBF) system, thereby enabling the production of components that are significantly larger than established PBF concepts allow.
Fuad Osmanlic, ALD’s vice-president additive manufacturing, said: “AM processes like powder bed fusion are becoming increasingly popular in metal processing due to their low material consumption and flexibility. However, processes such as PBF are often still limited regarding industrial scale manufacturing, particularly in terms of component size, which reduces the range of possible parts; and depending on the system design, the process can also be very energy-intensive and time-consuming, making conventional manufacturing processes more viable in certain situations.”
To eliminate these disadvantages, ALD has used its many years of expertise to ‘convert various techniques’ into systems that are geared towards serial production with high flexibility, in-depth process control and optimised resource management. This has resulted in the company’s EBuild — a completely new plant design for the E-PBF process.
“This is the first system on the market suitable for both large-scale parts and high-volume production. Features include a special powder application system, highly-efficient electron-beam technology, and heat-resistant materials that enable an increase in efficiency in end products such as turbines.
“Furthermore, the system is designed to be completely vacuum-tight, enabling the 3-D printing of metal parts in a vacuum or a controlled inert-gas atmosphere — in a 26-fold larger build volume compared to a market leader in E-PBF. In its basic configuration the EBuild 850 system is designed to produce metal parts with dimensions up to 850 x 850 x 1,000mm.
“However, because implementing AM can be a risky decision for companies not having experience with the technologies involved, we see the EBuild 850 concept as a joint venture undertaken with the buyer. The EBuild 850 is not an off-the-shelf system, but specifically tailored to ensure full access to the process’s design freedom, and producing what is needed, when it is needed — without the fear of escalating energy costs and high-material waste.”