According to technology analysts at the British consulting firm IDTechEx, the market volume in the field of additive manufacturing (AM) will grow by 18% annually until 2030. This process is even more dynamic for metal 3D printing. Here, they forecast average annual growth rates of 23 percent.

Focus on metal printing

The status and future developments in this area will be the focus of the Metal Forum on June 27, 2019, the final day of the three-day Rapid.Tech + FabCon 3.D at Messe Erfurt. "While in previous years we mainly discussed various printing technologies and possible applications, this year we are focusing on the entire process chain, looking at upstream and downstream areas such as new material combinations and methods for surface treatment as well as the influence of various parameters on process design. In doing so, we are also highlighting the leaps in development that metallic 3D printing has made towards industrial series production," explains Daniel Hund, Head of Marketing at Rösler Oberflächentechnik GmbH from Memmelsdorf in Bavaria. He conceived the forum together with Dr. Sabine Sändig, Project Manager in the Technology Promotion department of Thüringer Aufbaubank.

Dr. Uwe Lohse, Managing Director of Xerion Berlin Laboratories GmbH, reports on new technological developments for the production of 3D-printed multi-material components. The company has developed a system that enables the synchronous additive manufacturing of metals and ceramics. The use of a "green" laser creates new possibilities for the 3D printing of copper parts, which are increasingly being used in power electronics for electric vehicle drives. TRUMPF Laser- und Systemtechnik GmbH has developed a laser source in the green wavelength range that is ideal for processing copper. TRUMPF employee Dr. Philipp Wagenblast presents the innovation. The gas mixtures in the process play a decisive role in ensuring that 3D-printed products meet the quality requirements placed on them. In his presentation, Pierre Forêt, Head of Additive Manufacturing at Linde AG, will show what influence different gas atmospheres have on the results of powder bed-based laser beam melting.

Dr. Eric Wycisk, Managing Director of Ampower GmbH & Co. KG Hamburg, sheds light on the status quo of sinter-based metallic AM technologies. The additive manufacturing consultancy has examined the properties of the technologies in a broad-based study and highlights the current possibilities and limitations of binder jetting and fused deposition modeling with metallic materials. Only limited information is currently available.

Among the various steps in the additive chain, the post-processing of AM metal parts is a crucial element for quality and productivity in the industrial process, but in many cases does not yet receive the attention it deserves. Dr. Wolfgang Hansal, Managing Director of Hirtenberger Engineered Surfaces GmbH in Hirtenberg, Austria, will present ways to automate the surface treatment of 3D-printed metal components as the key to series production.

Lena Farahbod-Sternahl, project engineer at the Gas and Power division of Siemens AG, will demonstrate the benefits of additively manufactured lattice structures for innovative applications in gas turbine construction.

Rapid.Tech + FabCon 3.D with 14 forums

The Metal Forum is one of a total of 14 industry and subject-related forums in the Rapid.Tech + FabCon 3.D congress programme. The topics of software & processes, plastics and standardization & occupational safety are on the agenda for the first time. In addition, the proven forums on the automotive industry, aviation, medical, dental and orthopaedic technology, contract manufacturing, 3D-printed electronics and functionality, design, tool, mould and fixture construction, law, an event organized by the Fraunhofer GENERATIV Alliance and the two-day AM Science Forum are once again part of the programme. The latest developments, trends and results on additive technologies and applications from theory and practice will be presented in more than 100 lectures over the three days of the congress.

The 3D Printing Conference and the newly structured presentation areas and networking opportunities in the exhibition will also contribute to the optimal exchange of knowledge and experience as well as the initiation and maintenance of contacts.

Ina Reichel is a freelance journalist