ADIRAmay not be a name familiar to many in the 3D printing industry. With a 60 year history, the Portuguese company is more widely known in the sheet metal processing sector for it’s range of Press Brakes, Shears and Laser Cutting Systems.
ADIRA first launched an additive manufacturing system at the 2016 edition ofEuroblech. Visitors to formnext 2017 saw how that concept from last year had developed over the following 12 months. One of the parts demonstrated during the Frankfurt trade show was a bladed turbine disk.
I asked Filipe Coutinho, Product Development Engineer AM team member at ADIRA, a few questions about the AddCreator metal 3D printing system.
“a change in the paradigm of Powder-bed Fusion processes”
The AddCreator on display during formnext 2017 wasboldly announced作为世界上最大的金属零件打印机。Coutinho解释说：“我们目前的工作量为1000x1000x500毫米，这可能意味着生产高达0.5立方米的零件。”“尽管如此，我们的流程在各个方向都可以扩展（当前市场独有），从而可以将流程扩展到用户的要求。”
ADIRA’s AM system was under development for the past 2 years and uses a technology the company call Tiled Laser Melting, it is based on a powder-bed fusion (PBF) system.
与其他金属PBF 3D打印机相反，AddCreator具有分段雷电竞app下载的构建室，这是生产较大零件的关键。库蒂尼奥说：“与目前市场上的其他解决方案不同，建造室是可移动和模块化的。”“这意味着我们在此过程中将其移动在粉末床区域，而不是将其保持在一个固定位置。”
In short, we create the powder layers in the conventional way, however we process them in smaller segments, specifically 250×250 mm tiles. After the layer is set, we move the process chamber over the powder bed and we scan the required areas for that same layer, afterwards moving it outside of the working area for the deposition of a new one.
The principle is the same for larger parts, dividing them in smaller segments. “By using proprietary scanning strategies, we are able to overlap scan fields and guarantee the correct “stitching” of the solid volume (in the end resulting in one single part).”
Coutinho将其描述为“粉末状融合过程的范式的变化，直到现在为止，该过程诉诸于固定区域上的固定扫描系统进行处理。”
The photo of the 900mm long conceptual cooling nozzle below illustrates the potential for large horizontal work.
Aerospace, Automotive and integration with industry
The ADIRA AddCreator currently uses non-reactive metals, with development work focused on parameter sets for steel alloys. Work is underway to create further settings that allow 3D printing with other alloys including Inonel, and possibly Cobalt-Chrome. Reactive metals, including aluminum and titanium are a further objective.
AddCreator的早期支持者是Poly-Shape，一个位于雷电竞充值法国的增材制造服务局。多形将是AddCreator的第一个客户。
Coutinho says other “innovative added-value segments as well as the more conventional heavy-duty industry” are also addressable markets. This includes the Aeronautical industry who are “looking for large-part manufacturing through AM when it comes to satellite antenna frames, for example, large weight-reducing structures.”
In the Automotive sector the AddCreator may have application, “targeting bio-frames as a way to reduce weight and the amount of parts needed for assembly.
Furthermore, integration with more traditional industrial processes such as injection molding is envisioned. “The molding industry is looking for ways to incorporate large inserts with conformal cooling and heating channels, reducing the cycle time for plastic injection and improving the return on investment,” says Coutinho.
The first system developed by ADIRA uses 400W lasers, but this can be increased if a customer requires. Furthermore, because the Tiled Laser Melting process is scaleable, ADIRA has “flexibility in developing special tailor-made solutions for its customers,” when it comes to build volume specifications also.
The AddCreator is likely to be joined by other 3D printing systems from ADIRA in the future.
提供有关Adira AddCreator的更多信息here.
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