SAUER LASERTEC, formerly known for laser ablation, has now integrated laser metal deposition technology into its high-tech machines. At Euromold 2013, the company showcased its LASERTEC 65 AdditiveManufacturing laser cladding hybrid machine, which combines milling and laser metal deposition processes. The hybrid machine was jointly developed with DMG MORI USA. The process uses a powder nozzle, which makes it up to 20x faster than laser sintering in a powder bed, according to the company.
"By combining both additive technologies and traditional subtractive machining methods in one machine, additive manufacturing complements and extends the capabilities of manufacturing instead of competing with traditional machining methods such as milling or turning," said a company spokesperson.
The LASERTEC 65, based on a DMU 65 monoBLOCK machine, combines compact 5-axis milling and laser metal deposition and features a 2 kW diode laser. All common metal powders can be processed, including steel, nickel and cobalt alloys, brass or titanium.
When in operation, the laser head is located by a HSK interface in the milling spindle. It can be automatically swiveled to a protected parking area when the machine is used for milling. The control for the laser process is located in a separate cabinet, which makes it easy to integrate the system into other machines of the DMG MORI group.
"By combining additive manufacturing with milling or turning in one machine, additive technologies are no longer limited to small workpieces," said Gregory A. Hyatt, Senior Vice President and CTO, DMG MORI Advanced Solutions Development. "Our focus is to create a solution for more typical and larger workpieces found in industries such as aerospace, mold and die and energy, and for faster, more productive and economically justifiable deposition rates."
Other than laser sintering in a powder bed, the process with a powder nozzle allows the manufacturing of large parts. "The build up rate of up to 3.5 kg/h makes this process up to 20x faster than laser sintering in a powder bed," said the spokesperson. "The combination with milling makes completely new applications possible. The part can be built up in sections, with milling operations of the important areas, which need to be precisely machined but would not be accessible for the milling cutter after the deposition process, happening in between."
"The hybrid machine combines the advantages of milling, like high accuracy and surface finish, with the flexibility and high build up rate of laser powder deposition," said Friedemann Lell, Head of Sales SAUER LASERTEC in Pfronten, Germany. "For integral parts that are traditionally milled with a material waste rate of 95% and more, a significant cost saving can be achieved and the rate of waste can be reduced to about 5%."
The LASERTEC 65 AdditiveManufacturing features a diode laser mounted in place of a cutting tool and the material is added by spraying metallic powder into the laser beam, melting the powder in layers into the base material. The powder is fused to the base material without porosity or cracks. The metal powder forms a high-strength weld joint with the surface. After cooling, a metal layer develops that can be machined mechanically.
"While the laser deposition technology is nothing new, it is a reliable and proven process, which makes it suited for integration into DMG MORI's high-quality CNC machines such as the DMU, NT and NTX series," said the spokesperson. "The combination of conventional and additive manufacturing methods will take on increasing significance, as it offers a number of advantages as compared to stand-alone solutions."
A strength of this process is that it can be used to build up a number of similar or differing metal layers, which can then be machined to the required accuracy before the next layers are added and the area would not be accessible for the milling cutter or other cutting tools. Hence, the hybrid solution makes sense for repair work and the production of molds and dies, as well as for other applications, especially in the field of large part machining, where other additive manufacturing techniques cannot be applied.
"Large machines suitable for machining parts needed in the aerospace or energy sectors tend to be very expensive, so having a single large machine which can do the rough machining, deposition and finishing is very economical for customers," said the spokesperson.
In the energy and oil and gas industries, components often need to be coated with a suitable corrosion resistant alloy, such as Inconel, to protect any given area. The cladding process is designed to provide protection for products such as pipes, valves, flanges and specialist fabrications used in any hostile environment. With a hybrid machine, the machining of the base material, cladding and the final machining process can be done in one set-up.
For more information contact:
DMG MORI
2400 Huntington Blvd.
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192
847-593-5400
www.dmgmori-usa.com