Core Facilities & Capabilities

Laser Powder Bed Fusion

The Aconity MIDI SLM System is a cutting-edge high-quality 3D laser metal-printer for research into advanced fabrication of material structures, innovative metal alloys, metal-and-ceramic composites and other materials. This machine features a1kW laser, interchangeable build diameters from 50 to 170mm, a high-temperature build platform controllable up to 1200C, and a high-speed camera system and two pyrometers for in-situ process monitoring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trumpf TruPrint 1000 With a cylindrical build volume of 100 mm in diameter and 100 mm in height, the TruPrint 1000 can be used for the generative production of small industrial single parts and series in almost any geometric shape. Even relatively complex shapes can be quickly and easily converted from the CAD design to a top-quality 3D metallic component in a wide variety of common alloys, aerospace alloys, and refractory alloys. It also comes with in-situ monitoring through a camera and simple feature recognition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trumpf TruPrint 2000 With its small 55-μm laser beam diameter, the TruPrint 2000 provides a high-quality printing result that impresses with its surface quality and level of detail. It offers a cylindrical build volume of 200 mm in diameter and 200 mm in height. The laser has been upgraded to 500W to accommodate processing of refractory materials. It also comes with a heated stage controllable up to 200C. The TruPrint 2000 has a powder preparation station for fast and simple pre/post-processing powders, and is completely enclosed so the user does not come into contact with the powder.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Directed Energy Deposition

Optomec LENS-750 The Optomec LENS-750 Laser Engineered Net Shaping System is a highly flexible 3D printer that uses metal for manufacturing, processing, and advanced research on alloy development. Featuring four independent powder hoppers, this machine can be used to make compositionally and functionally graded materials.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Optomec LENS CS-250 The LENS CS-250 System is the latest model to come out of Optomec Inc. Featuring four powder hoppers, this machine can be used to make compositionally and functionally graded materials. This machine also comes with a 5-axis system to enable complex shapes and repairs on existing geometries. A 1KW nLight laser system can be used to print highly reflective materials like copper and its alloys, and an onboard lens changing system allows the user to change the laser spot size between materials, or within a single setup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Hybrid Manufacturing AMBIT™ combines both the additive and subtractive part of manufacturing in one system. Featuring the latest patented and award-winning AMBIT™ laser-based directed energy deposition heads, we can deposit metal using interchangeable 1mm and 3mm beam widths. Additional types of laser processing are supported by the Series 7 system for drilling, ablating and finishing metal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Solid State Processing

MELD B8: Solid-State Processing is a solid-state process, meaning the material does not reach the melting temperature during the process. It offers a wide range of capabilities, including additive friction stir deposition (AFSD), coating applications, component repair, metal joining, and custom metal alloy and metal matrix composite billet and part fabrication. MELD is a single-step process that does not require time-consuming, follow-on processes such as hot isostatic pressing (HIP) or sintering to improve the quality of the deposited material. 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Binder Jetting

ExOne Innovent+: A multipurpose additive tool with increased dust control and the most advanced powder dispensing on the market. Innovent+™ is designed to reliably produce functional parts in a variety of materials. It is easy to use and features state-of-the-art recoating technology, allowing for the widest range of materials to be printed while producing the most consistent and uniform print bed. This machine can process a wide range of powders, including metals, ceramics, composites and other powder materials.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Precision Microdispensing System

nScrypt 3Dn: The 3Dn Series is a gantry-based, high-precision motion platform running nScrypt Machine Tool Software for exceptional control. For example, the user can configure the system with multiple Micro-Dispensing tool heads (gizmos) or multiple heads of different functionality, such as material extrusion, micro-milling, or pick and place. Other options include laser sintering, heating, UV curing, laser mapping, and onboard imaging, and has been fitted with atmosphere control and monitoring equipment as well as in-situ monitoring equipment. Regardless of configuration, the platform builds fine features at high speeds.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Fused Deposition Modeling and Stereolithography

ZORTRAX M200+, MAKERBOT METHOD X, FORMLABS FORM 3+, MARKFORGED MARK TWO: Our small-sized printers are used for both classroom and polymer-based research. Materials vary from plastics such as ABS and PC-ISO, fiber-reinforced polymers, and various resins, with feature sizes as small as 25 microns and build volumes as large as 5600cc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Powder Processing

TEKNA TekSphero-15: Spheroidization System TekSphero-15 is a plasma treatment system uniquely designed to manufacture and process metal and ceramic powder, which enables the design and prototyping of new materials for additive manufacturing. The unique design of the inductively coupled plasma eliminates any potential contamination from potential electrode materials seen in other plasma equipment. This unit is equipped with a spheroidization reactor and a nanoreactor to produce a powder with a particle-sized distribution from nano to micro scales. The lab-scale design of this unit allows for rapid turnarounds of experimental and computational materials design.