Experimental Equipment:

In order to conduct the research, an experimental ALM machine was constructed, permitting the powder bed processing of small quantities of material.

The system was constructed in house, and remains flexible as to the energy source which can be used.

Currently the laser source is provided by a 4kW Ytterbium fibre laser (1080nm) manufactured by IPG Photonics, which is coupled to a remote laser welding robot arm (Comau). This energy source provides a significantly higher range of energies to be achieved than within a commercial ALM system, for the purposes of research into materials where higher energy levels may be required for processing.

 

The ALM system (left of image) provides a layer resolution of up to 0.01mm (typically 0.1mm is used), while the chamber contains an inert Argon or Nitrogen atmosphere during processing.

The entire system is operated via remote control systems, with cameras to observe the process.