Page 28 - 3D Metal Printing Summer 2019

3D FEATURE Wire DED
for Printing Large Metal Parts
...takes a major leap forward at the new Lincoln Electric metal additive manufacturing facility in Cleveland, OH. The goal: metal deposition rates exceeding 100 lb./hr., based on technology developments in materials, data analytics and automation. BY BRAD F. KUVIN, PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in collaboration with numerous partners in industry, government and academia, including Lincoln Electric, used the DED metal-AM process, on a production cell similar to that at Lincoln Electric, to produce the first fully functional excavator using AM components, shown here. This 7-ft.-long, 400-lb. part was printed from low-cost steel weld wire in 5 days. Photos provided by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy
opment of detailed and precise robot- motion profiles—coordinated with other automation devices—to ensure precision, even as speed and deposition rate rise.”
Developing and fine-tuning the robot path, and learning to take advantage of the free motion available during robotic DED, enables molten-metal deposition at the right orientation to leverage gravity and avoid the need for supports. That’s just one of the advancements resulting from the development of enhanced and
In May of this year, Lincoln Electric penned an updated agreement with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to expand its large-scale additive manu- facturing (AM) development work to man- ufacture metal components using its auto- mated wire directed energy deposition (DED) technology at deposition rates exceeding 100 lb./hr. The work, ongoing at the ORNL Demonstration Facility and supported by the U.S. Department of Ener- gy, aims in part to support efforts by U.S. manufacturers to apply AM technology in the development of large tools, dies and molds. The announcement came on the heels of the acquisition by Lincoln Electric of Baker Industries, Inc., Detroit, MI, a manufacturer of custom tooling, fixtures and other components, primarily for the automotive and aerospace industries. The
result: the ability of Lincoln Electric to nurture and scale its new metal AM service business in Cleveland, OH.
“We are uniquely aligned to collaborate with ORNL and continue to expand the capabilities of wire DED,” explains Tom Matthews, senior vice president for tech- nology and R&D at Lincoln Electric, dur- ing our recent visit with key members of the company’s AM team.
“We understand deposition technology and how to deposit molten metal,” adds Mark Douglass, business development manager, additive solutions. “And, our team of inhouse engineers and metallurgists will lead the development of new wire feed- stocks needed to expand the capabilities of the process. We’ll be focusing on, among other variables, the thermal cycling that occurs during deposition, and the devel-
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