As the global trend in additive manufacturing continues to develop with large-scale production and mass production, it appears that the necessary equipment, materials, and software (SW) are also making progress.
The ‘FORMNEXT 2024’ event took place successfully from November 19 to 22 at the Frankfurt Messe. A total of 860 companies from around the world, including well-known international additive manufacturing companies such as Stratasys, 3D Systems, Desktop Metal, Markforged, GE Additive, HP, Materialize, Siemens, SLM Solutions, Trumpf, Voxeljet, and Formlabs, showcased their products.
In addition, Korean companies such as Graphy, Carima Tech, and Link Solution exhibited in individual booths, and seven companies including Cosglobal, 3D Controls, Made, Carima, Lugo Labs, Geum Yong Machinery, and Sian Solutions participated in the Korean Pavilion established by the 3D Convergence Industry Association.
These companies introduced total solutions related to additive manufacturing, including mold and various jig manufacturing products, materials such as metal powders and ceramics, photopolymer resins, post-processing technologies for additive manufacturing, atomizer equipment manufacturing companies, measurement and quality control inspection systems, production machinery, and surface functionalization technologies, as well as software for 3D printing.
This year's FORMNEXT demonstrated that additive manufacturing is advancing towards mass production technology, showing the need for larger and more automated equipment. To produce large parts, which are increasingly in demand in the aerospace sector, PBF method 3D printers are increasing the number of lasers for larger build volumes as well as faster speeds, while 3D printers such as DED and WAAM are being combined with robots for larger scale and automation. MX3D exhibited equipment capable of producing 2.2m metal parts using various materials with the WAAM method and announced plans to expand to 6 meters in the future.
In the materials sector, special materials and composites necessary for the high strength and lightweighting of parts are being expanded, and technologies for recycling waste metal powders to reduce production costs have also been introduced. Amazemet showcased equipment for recycling special metal powders that are expensive and difficult to discard using plasma torch and ultrasonic technology.
Domestic DED 3D printing specialist Instech introduced a case where they repaired domestic power plant turbines using Inconel 939 material developed in collaboration with domestic GODTECH Co,. Ltd. LW-DED specialist MELTIO, which stacks by melting metal wire with a laser, showcased large equipment for layering even highly reflective metals like copper by replacing the existing fiber laser head with a blue diode for the first time.
Additive manufacturing is accelerating integration with digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and augmented reality to improve the design process, quality, and supply chain management. For example, in the preprocessing design phase, when the necessary conditions are input, AI quickly reconfigures the design according to those conditions, and machine learning minimizes supports to reduce downstream costs and time.
Technologies aimed at enhancing user convenience are also continuously developing. Blue Power introduced equipment that can replace internal crucibles within one hour after powder production, while Triton showcased equipment that allows for quick layering without metal powders spilling and can be easily replaced in cartridge form.
Additionally, tools that maximize the advantages of additive manufacturing, such as cutting tools that enhance the efficiency of cutting fluids and sloped functional materials that secure durability and lightweight by layering multiple materials, were also introduced.
Meanwhile, the 3D Printing Research Association, led by Executive Director Kang Min-cheol, is organizing a visiting group consisting of industry-university-research personnel to observe the exhibition, as well as visit the Heidelberg 3D Printing Data Center and Porsche Additive Manufacturing Center.
Details on the global additive manufacturing trends that experts from industry-university-research experiencing FORMNEXT 2024 felt will be shared through a series of columns in the New Material Economy.
Source: New Material Economy http://amenews.kr/news/view.php?idx=59677 [Reporter Shin Geun-sun]