New 3D Metal Printing Technique Combines Lasers and Advanced Robotics

An anonymous reader writes: A new alternative to rival other 3D metal printing techniques is being developed by a team of manufacturing researchers at the Southern Methodist University. Led by Professor Radovan Kovacevic, the group have presented a technique called Laser-Based Direct Metal Deposition (LBDMD) which builds on traditional FDM and laser technology to create high-quality metal objects as parts for a range of fabrication uses. The technology uses multi-axial positioning robotics which eliminates the need for a support structure and human intervention.

Comments

Very cool

[ShieldW0lf]

I particularly like the way they rotate the part so that gravity is always pulling in the most convenient direction.

Makes the one I built look downright primitive.

Re:Very cool

[wonkey_monkey]

so that gravity is always pulling in the most convenient direction.

Down?

Re: Very cool

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, you mongoloid.

Can this print integrated circuits??

[Anonymous Coward]

Seems like it won't be that much of a stretch to have a much smaller laser, much finer grain of multiple materials, making it possible to print circuits of electronic elements in 3d? Surely, it will be slower, but it will require very low initial investment compared to a semiconductor foundry, and also almost zero negative environmental impact... compared to a foundry.

Re:Can this print integrated circuits??

[Anonymous Coward]

Of course. I don't see why something so simple as a modern IC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?f...

shouldn't be able to be built in the comfort of your living room out of the wrong materials.

Lasers are for cows.

[Anonymous Coward]

You are all laser cows. Laser cows say pew. PEW! PEW! PEW! Pew laser cows PEW! Pew pew pew say the laser cows. YOU COLLIMATED COWS!!

What is new here?

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe I am missing something, but where is the big innovation in this? The company I am working for (DMG MORI - world's largest manufacturer of CNC turning and milling machines) already has a commercially available version of this (if you can affort it, machine is ~900k€ as far as I know):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9IdZ2pI5dA

In the linked article a lot of words are being spend, but in the Laser-Based Direct Metal Deposition (LBDMD) is nowhere really explained.

Can anyone clear this up?

Re:What is new here?

[ka9dgx]

I like the combination of both techniques DMG Mori is showing off... is there an english version of the video somewhere?

Re:What is new here?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not that I know of. This is supposed to be a "tech advertisement" video created by our PR department, but the machine is definitely working and can be bought. I have seen it live on one of our bigger exhibitions, really amazing.

This big challenge with this new technology is definitely not the hardware - that part is "simple", as for the most part this is regular 5-axis milling machine based on the DMU monoBlock series.

But the established CAD/CAM software (e.g. Siemens NX, CATIA and the other big placers) as well as the process chains (programming, verification, simulation) that produce the NC programs ("the movements of the machine" for the laymen) are at this point not ready to really utilize both additive and subtractive modes of operation. A lot of the programming still has to be done by hand. Once this issue will be resolved (you cannot compare this to a plain 3d printer, where you have straightforward algorithms to compute the movements of the printer head), such hybrid technologies in my opinion hold a lot of promise.

Re:What is new here?

[trout007]

Came here to post this. I've seen this bad boy and it is pretty much the ultimate machine. You can put the machines surfaces where you need it.

Re:What is new here?

[Anonymous Coward]

Posting anonymously to preserve mods. I absolutely agree with this. Given that the controller and CAM software can easily account for more than 50% of the price of a machine, this is where there needs to be some real development. The electronics side of the industry is just hopelessly outdated. A Heidenhain iTNC is still something like a P3 running Windows XP. My iPhone 5 has more processing power and costs about 1% of the price.

Hmm....

[Anonymous Coward]

1) I'd expect problems with oxide inclusions unless they are going to use a lot of argon to shield the melt pool. Maybe they should look at coating the metal powder with small amounts of polyethylene to act as an oxygen scavenger above the fusion pool.

2) I'd expect to see a lot of thermal stresses in parts made by intermittently melting a small part of the surface. Annealing before surface machining would probably make sense.

3) Has anyone managed to create a powder explosion using metal dust? This looks like the ideal technology to try it out.

Roboshark is comeing

[Joe_Dragon]

Roboshark is comeing

unless

[Anonymous Coward]

agile gurus and other scum were deservingly slaughtered there this is not news for nerds or?

Tech Tree Headline?

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

>> New 3D Metal Printing Technique Combines Lasers and Advanced Robotics

Anyone else think that headline sounds a lot like a mod for a Civilization tech tree?

Are the robots sharks?

[thinkwaitfast]

that could be bad.

New Skynet manufacturing plant opens!

[Anonymous Coward]

Woo hoo! Let the production begin!

Methodist scientists?!

[Anonymous Coward]

I can't believe RELIGIOUS LUDDITES managed to pull this off! What ACTUAL SCIENTISTS did they threaten with torture to give them this wonderful science?!

No sharks?

[Anonymous Coward]

Needs sharks.

How is this different from Mori Seiki's?

[Shark]

It seems they've been doing this for a little while now. Basically, you build and mill the casted part in the same operation.