Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference 2019

The proposal deals with a completely new technique and energy source for melting of metal powder. The paper is focused on the machine itself, its topology optimized design and the energy transfer to the material. The printer consists of lightweight material und uses a cooling system for the projection part that reuses the removed energy to preheat the platform and the already printed part. Major characteristics of the new system are the need of a small volume of metal powder, the maximum possible avoidance of support structures and the opportunity of post-processing during the printing process. Results of test experiments will be presented and the outlook shows possible applications in the future for mass production. This realistic scenario is based on the possible reduction of printing time by the factor of 10 to 20.