Solutions for sustainable additive manufacturing

The EU has a strong position in AM, and especially  in metal-based additive manufacturing for aerospace applications. At the same time, a high raw materials dependency exists, in particular for titanium. That is why we have developed a technology for production of titanium alloys powders using production waste, such as chips from machining processes.

We are developing a modified aluminium alloys powders that not only allow for their printing without hot cracking phenomenon, but also improve their heat resistance.

When considering sustainable human existence in habitats or space stations, additive manufacturing (AM) of metallic spare parts and hardware is a major enabling technology. At the moment the most developed metal AM technique is SLM, which cannot be adopted for in-orbit manufacturing due to lack of sufficient gravity. To overcome this issue, we are developing a form feedstock and feeding system that can be operated in microgravity conditions. 

Materials: Ti-6Al-4V, AlSi10Mg, AISI 316L, 15-5PH, Inconel 718/625. Post Processing: 5-axis CNC machining, Laser & Arc welding, EDM - Cutting and Drilling, Heat treatment, HIP (Hot Isostatic Pressing), PVD coating, Shot blasting. Quality Control: VT / PT / MT / RT / UT, 3D Scanning, CMM Inspection, CT Scanning, Optical Profilometry, Optical Microscopy, SEM, (EDS/WDS/EBSD), TEM, Hardness Testing, Tensile testing, Impact testing, High pressure cycle testing, Outgassing testing, Helium leak testing