Blue Arc Rapid Removal Process premiers

Mitsui Seiki and TechSolve will unveil Blue Arc machining technology in May. Blue Arc technology, developed in partnership with GE and Mitsui Seiki, produces parts out of superalloys faster and more efficiently.

An electro-erosion metal removal method, Blue Arc represents the fastest way to rough cut extremely tough superalloys such as Inconel and titanium. Using high amperage, low voltage electrical energy between the electrode tool and the workpiece, portions of the workpiece are melted, and the molten material is quickly flushed away with a high-pressure system. The process uses low force, permitting higher feeds and speeds. On average, the technology is 4x to 5x faster than conventional milling processes.

The Blue Arc machine to be unveiled is a hybrid; it can perform Blue Arc and conventional machining in one platform.

Materialise, PTC partner

Materialise and PTC have partnered to increase 3D printing capabilities of PTC’s Creo computer-aided design (CAD) software, allowing manufacturers to integrate 3D printing capabilities into manufacturing process.

Using Materialise’s Build Processor, the solution will connect PTC’s software to 3D printers equipped with Materialise Build Processors. It will also support metal 3D printing and include Materialise’s support generation technology, which gives designers more control over the design and creation of metal support structures.

Morris Group to distribute Desktop Metal 3D printers; demo dates announced

Desktop Metal has named Morris Group as a top tier, Diamond Partner supplier of its metal 3D printing systems in 30 states extending from Maine to Florida to the Dakotas.

The Studio System office-friendly metal 3D printing system for rapid prototyping is 10x less expensive than existing technology and includes a printer, debinder, and sintering furnace. It uses bound metal deposition (BMD), a proprietary process, to produce near net shape parts, similar to widely-used 3D printing process for plastics – fused deposition modeling (FDM). Features include safe-to-handle, swappable media cartridges and quick release print heads. It is designed to print steels, copper, and superalloys.

Demo systems will be exhibited throughout the Morris Group distribution network, as well as at two October 2018 trade shows – the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Show (AMTS) in Dayton, Ohio in Technical Equipment’s booth and South-Tec in Greenville, South Carolina, in Morris South’s booth.

BigRep, BASF to develop industrial 3D printing materials

BigRep and BASF have partnered to jointly develop materials and printers for industrial customer requirements. Additionally, BASF is investing to further strengthen its 3D printing capabilities.

BASF brings to the partnership extensive knowledge of materials, industrial applications, and a broad portfolio of materials that can be used to develop 3D printing materials.

Berlin-based 3D Printer manufacturer BigRep provides hardware, software, materials, and services for large-scale 3D printing.

Short-run metal additive manufacturing platform in development by Stratasys

Stratasys Ltd. is developing a metal additive manufacturing platform designed for short-run manufacturing.

The platform is being developed for pilot-series parts; small batch manufacturing during product ramp up and end-of-life; and customized, lightweight, and complex parts.

The Stratasys system will manufacture metal parts made with commonly used powder metallurgy, starting with aluminum, at an economically competitive cost-per-part and throughput.

The company will unveil further details about this new technology at the RAPID + TCT 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing Conference, Booth#1104, taking place from April 23-26 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas.

www.stratasys.com

Polymer additive manufacturing standards

Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) is working with SAE International’s Polymer Additive Manufacturing (AMS AM-P) Subcommittee to develop technical requirements and quality assurance provisions for the fused deposition modeling process and material feedstock characterization needed to produce high quality parts for aerospace applications using Stratasys Ultem 9085 and Ultem 1010.

Paul Jonas, NIAR director of technology development and special programs, serves as the subcommittee chairman.

In addition, the subcommittee’s documents will support the broader aerospace industry’s interest in qualifying polymer additive manufactured parts. www.niar.wichita.edu; www.sae.org; www.stratasys.com