MAN Energy Solutions has expanded its additive manufacturing (AM) capabilities at its Oberhausen plant with the installation of an SLM NXG XII 600 supplied by
SLM Solutions, which is based in Lübeck, also in Germany.
This plant has been a central hub for AM innovation at MAN Energy Solutions since mid-2019, ‘leveraging’ among other AM machinery an SLM 280 series 3-D printer to produce 1,000s of components. From November 2022, MAN Energy Solutions has been using the capabilities of the NXG XII 600, a selective laser melting machine, first at SLM Solutions’ headquarters, and since February at its Oberhausen plant.
Anders Such, head of AM in Oberhausen, which also includes laser welding, said: “Each new generation of printers is expanding our additive manufacturing capabilities. For example, a build volume of 600 x 600 x 600mm on the NXG enables us to 3-D print small housings; and with 12 1,000W lasers each in parallel operation, the NXG produces components six-times as fast as the 280 model — and with consistent quality. With its capabilities, the NXG XII 600 is poised to slash delivery times for housings produced by a factor of three to four.”
Referring to the development potential can be expected regarding topology-optimised components, Sven-Hendrik Wiers, head of engineering at MAN Energy Solutions in Oberhausen, said: “Thanks to the newly-enabled geometric freedom, designs can be further optimised in terms of availability, performance, service life, costs, and service. We are on the threshold of a new age where traditional manufacturing constraints are being overturned by AM. It is time to adopt an additive perspective at the start of the product lifecycle and reimagine geometries.”
MAN Energy Solutions uses AM for various applications, including parts of compressors, turbines, two-stroke engines, turbochargers, and four-stroke engines. The company’s use of AM covers the entire range of machines in new construction and service. On the application side, additive methods are currently being researched for ‘hydrogen’, as well as manufacturing components for gear compressors, which MAN Energy Solutions uses for CCUS (carbon capture utilisation and storage).