Game Changer in AM Technology?

When it comes to developments in additive technologies, one company's focus on creating a solution for larger workpieces found in industries such as mold & die, and for faster, more productive and economical justifiable deposition rates, lead to a new machine.

We've covered the trends and technologies in additive manufacturing, since the magazine launched back in 1998 (when it was referred to only as rapid prototyping), but the advances and applications within this sector have exploded in the past few years.

And one such advance, is this unique hybrid solution that combines milling and laser metal deposition processes on the LASERTEC 65 additive manufacturing laser cladding machine with full milling capability--developed jointly between and DMG MORI Seiki and SAUER LASERTEC, part of the DMG MORI group.

The machine whose process uses a powder nozzle, which makes it up to 20-times faster than laser sintering in a powder bed, will be showcased at the upcoming Euromold show in Frankfurt, Germany from December 2 to December 6, and MMT will there to see it live.

According the companies, "other than laser sintering in a powder bed, the process with a powder nozzle allows the manufacturing of large parts. The build up rate of up to 3.5 kg/h makes this process up to 20-times faster than laser sintering in a powder bed. The combination with milling makes complete new applications possible. The part can be built up in sections, with milling operations of the important areas, which need to be precisely machined, but wouldn’t be accessible for the milling cutter after the deposition process, happening in between. The hybrid machine combines the advantages of milling like high accuracy and surface finish with the flexibility and high build up rate of laser powder deposition." Stay tuned as we bring you further details next month.