high temperatures that result in oxygen pick-up.
Better metallurgy is achieved via a large stable
operating window, fully dense parts, excellent cooling
control, thermal history, fully grain control, stress free
parts, very low oxygen pick-up, and powder recycling –
helping with firm’s with sustainability.
IN-PROCESS MONITORING
Designed specifically for production applications, Calibur3
incorporates fully embedded in-process monitoring
capabilities that provide full oversight during every build,
ensuring full traceability for every part.
An infrared camera gives real-time 3D temperature
mapping via a single camera in the NIR, calibrated to
measure temperatures from 600c to 1500c, giving
absolute temperature measurements, cooling rates and
identifying phases changes.
There is also a structured light system that can
calculate z-height of build area and produce height surface
map of powder bed, and any out of plane defect, such as
powder spreading defects or part swelling. Calibur3 also
features a backscattered electron detector (BSD) that
detects primary electrons that have been scattered back
from the nuclei of atoms in the target material.
Other big advantages for users lie in post-processes as
in the laser AM process - fine de-powder, heat treatment
and wire cut must be carried out, while in eBeam - powder
cake breakout and fine de-powder must be done, but with
the NueBeam process developed by Wayland, only fine depowder
is needed, saving valuable lead time in production
processes and associated costs.
LONG-TERM STRATEGY
In 2021, Wayland Additive will make a limited number of
machine placements to manufacturers with five delivered
to customers, and geographic locations a big
consideration. The start-up has had interest from
manufacturers in the US, Japan, Sweden, Brazil, Germany,
South Korea, but the UK is the focus market.
Hansford says it is not looking to sell 100s of
machines, as that is not the goal and it is taking a
“pragmatic long-term approach” and will work with specific
customers. “We want to engage with the customer and
work with them in partnership on difficult applications,
and develop a process and production process allowing
them to take advantage of the technology. We hope they
then buy multiple machines to facilitate their needs.
“This is our journey and what we are trying to do, rather
than market the hell out of the new technology and ship it
and try and deal with it later.
“Our engagement is to try and engage with a specific
customer, work with them, develop their process, help
them on their way, let them run it and that way we should
get high quality installations, good customer satisfaction
and repeat business,” he adds.
NeuBeam is the core technology, but Wayland Additive
will continue developing and improving its capabilities, and
by working closely with customers, will look to align the
technology with specific industry needs.
The company will hold a virtual online event on 16
March to launch Calibur3 and a physical event on 19 May,
when it is expected that Covid-19 related restrictions will
be lifted. ■
LEAD FEATURE GROUND-BREAKING METAL AM TECH
Pictured above:
Director of
business
development
Peter Hansford
Pictured above
bottom: Wayland
Additive’s newly--
built showroom
Additive manufacturing news in brief
■ SLM Solutions Group AG - a German manufacturer of powder bed
metal additive manufacturing (AM) machines – has launched the
NXG XII 600 machine.
The Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive
Manufacturing machine is equipped with twelve 1 kW lasers and
offers a square build envelope of 600 x 600 x 600 mm. Gosportbased
Kingsbury ( www.is.gd/jZg66Y ) will sell its products and
services in the British and Irish markets.
The company reports that the NXG XII 600 is “the fastest AM
machine on the market,” offering build speeds 20 times faster than
possible with a single-laser machine and equipped with technical
features such as a zoom function to achieve the highest productivity
and reliability.
It is designed to be used in serial production for high-volume
applications, as well as for building large parts, thus opening up new
applications in the automotive and aerospace industries and paving
the way to industrialised serial AM. Materials like aluminium,
titanium, nickel, cobalt, iron and copper alloys can be used.
According to SLM Solutions, the NXG XII 600 was designed from
scratch for serial production and features a new optic system, said
to be the most compact on the market. It enables large overlap and
is based on a tailor-made laser scanning system to best fit the build
area.
■ Stratasys – represented in the UK by Derbyshire-based platinum
partner SYS Systems ( https://is.gd/BQBqTt ) – has signed an
agreement to acquire 3D printing start-up Origin.
The $100 million business deal will allow the 3D-printing giant to
widen its technological offering and the merger will enable Stratasys
to expand its leadership through innovation in the fast-growing mass
production parts segment with a next-generation photopolymer
platform.
Stratasys expects Origin’s proprietary Programmable
PhotoPolymerisation (P3) technology to be an important growth
engine for the company, adding up to $200 million incremental
annual revenue within five years.
It will help fortify Stratasys’ ground-breaking work in polymers and
3D-printing production applications in industries such as medical,
tooling and select industrial, defence and consumer goods
segments.
12 February 2021 | www.machinery.co.uk | MachineryMagazine | @MachineryTweets
/www.machinery.co.uk