BIG 3D printer coming together in Europe

The big news in additive manufacturing (AM) is that some really big 3D printers are coming onto the market.

One of them is the LASIMM Project machine, a 14- by 11- by 5-meter, hybrid behemoth being built by a European consortium. It will be capable of 3D-printing metal structures up to 6m by 2m and weighing up to 2,000 kilograms, according to a report issued by one of the project’s partners.

The partners claim that upon completion, the Large Additive Subtractive Integrated Modular Machine will be the world’s largest metal 3D printer, capable of producing quality-assured finished components directly from a CAD drawing.

The key process technology is wire and arc AM, which is supplemented by robots and other advanced manufacturing technologies. Some processes will be carried out in parallel, resulting in major cost and production-time savings, says the group. The initial materials the machine will 3D-print are aluminium, steel, and titanium.

LASIMM’s modular design will permit it to be reconfigured to accommodate specific applications.

The machine is designed to:

• Automate and fully integrate additive and subtractive technologies.

• Manufacture finished parts that are ready for use.

• Reduce production costs and time by eliminating the need to transfer parts from one machine to another; eliminate post-build, non-destructive testing and scrap; and circumvent the need for post-build fabrication steps to make larger structures.

• Allow cold-working with an AM machine.

The LASIMM combines additive and subtractive manufacturing technologies, robots, and postprocessing capabilities such as performing QC functions.

• Produce mixed-material components.

The partners, consisting of six companies, two universities, and two research institutes, announced in late January that the machine had gone live. After verification and acceptance and a 6- to 12-month industrialization period, the hybrid cell will be ready for commercialization.