Additive manufacturing for prototyping and production parts continues to evolve as more companies enter the market space and innovations are made. Many of these innovations seek to improve how machines solidify resins or consolidate metals in a melt pool.
In the video above, we look at how Directed Energy Deposition (DED) is allowing for new possibilities in part production and repair with BeAM Machines’ new Modulo additive manufacturing system.
“Some people think of the machine as a 5-axis machining center, but it’s not; it’s a purpose-built machine specifically for DED,” explained Timothy Bell, general manager at BeAM Machines.
“The Modulo was designed around the idea of a factory in the field,” Bell said. “The Modulo fits inside a shipping container, can fit inside a truck and it can even be flown out to inaccessible areas to do repairs on site. That’s the unique thing about taking DED, making it industrial and then producing the products that customers need.”
The Modulo directs metallic powder into a laser beam. The powder converges at the focal point of the laser, creating a melt-pool which is laid down in a 5-axis configuration.
“A lot of our customers use the technology for engine repair, gas-turbine engine components and feature additions,” Bell said. “Some components require a lot of milling to make a round part with square flanges, but within our machine, you could turn the part and just print the flanges on it or maybe a near net shape.”
The Modulo also has multiple powder feeders, allowing runs with multiple materials at one time for complex builds and repairs.
In repair applications, traditional techniques like plasma spray, deposition processes, hard chroming and others, offer limited options in surface detail. Repair with DED can allow for greater surface detail, as well greater flexibility of repairs.
“If you think of an air labyrinth seal—it’s a shaft seal for a gas-turbine engine—these historically couldn’t be repaired. When they were welded up, they would crack and be scraped. With our technology, we can control the heat so finely that we don’t crack them and some of them can be repaired four times before they’re thrown away. Powder-bed has matured quickly over the last 10 years, but I think DED is the next evolution in additive manufacturing.”
For more information, visit the BeAM Machines’ website.