Tag Archives: Additive Manufacturing

LIA’s Laser Additive Manufacturing Workshop (LAM®) 2017 Explored Top Innovations, Insights in the 3D Printing Revolution

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Notable names in Additive Manufacturing, including GE Additive’s Greg Morris and Marc Esformes of Stryker, gathered in Houston, TX for the two-day event

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 14, 2017 – The Laser Institute of America’s 2017 Laser Additive Manufacturing Workshop (LAM®) took place February 21–22 in Houston, Texas. Researchers and industry leaders from all over the world came together to discuss the latest advances and future challenges within the world of laser additive manufacturing. The two-day event featured
presentations, exhibitors and ample networking opportunities for attendees and industry professionals alike.

“LAM offers its attendees the opportunity to create lasting relationships with key individuals in their industry,” said Jim Naugle, Marketing Director with LIA. “This year was no exception.”

Attendees hear about the latest AM Innovations at LAM 2017 in Houston

Presentation Highlights

Conference General Chair Milan Brandt of RMIT University addressed the conference, officially kicking off the event.

“Laser systems are at the heart of metal additive manufacturing technology,” says Brandt. “This year’s conference provided an opportunity for those involved with laser technology to explore the latest progress and challenges in additive technology, including the latest in Nano-additive technology and medical applications.”

The workshop opened with a keynote presentation from GE Additive’s Greg Morris, titled Accelerating the Additive Revolution, which highlighted the additive manufacturing efforts led by General Electric, including the company’s plans to be vertical by 2022. In regards to the future of additive manufacturing as a whole, Morris suggested that while the current supply chain will not be immediately replaced, a definite shift is occurring, with co-existence happening in the foreseeable future. He added that laser additive manufacturing has revolutionized jet engine production, reducing 855 individual parts down to 12.

Representing the medical side of additive manufacturing, Marc Esformes of Stryker presented Additive Manufacturing of Medical Implants. As a part of one of the pioneering companies utilizing additive manufacturing for medical devices and tools, Esformes emphasized the potential for revolution when it comes to using AM for life-saving medicalpurposes.

“We can design anything,” Esformes said, in reference to how implants can be custom designed by doctors, for patients using additive manufacturing. “Custom implants can go from 3D scan to 3D part in just a few weeks.”

Our final keynote, Simulation and Modeling of the Metal Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing Process, was presented by Wayne King of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)

and focused on results of extensive efforts to improve qualification of parts produced using laser powder-bed fusion AM by applying physics-based models. King, a widely-recognized expert andDirector of AM Materials at LLNL described the multi-scale modeling efforts of his team, focusing on powder-scale and parts-scale models.

The powderscale model has become so powerful that it can now predict phenomena that was unanticipated, as well as nearly every spark and splatter, occurring in the powder-bed and melt pool. Even with such powerful simulation tools, there is work to be done to create more complete simulations of every step from design to part.

Exciting Developments Unveiled at LAM

Dr. Wayne King of LLNL speaks at LAM 2017

Sponsor and attendee Optomec featured the new LENS Machine Series for metal additive manufacturing applications at the event. The LENS series comes in three models and combines Optomec LENS Print Engine technology with standard CNC Vertical Milling platforms, making metal AM technology more accessible and affordable.

While using #LAM2017 on Twitter, attendees, vendors and presenters alike shared their thoughts and photos from the event. LAM 2017 provided two days packed full of knowledge and innovation in laser additive manufacturing, kicking off a new year of progress for both lasers and additive manufacturing technology.

For more information regarding LIA conferences and workshops, like LAM, please visit www.lia.org/conferences. For the latest updates regarding conferences, industry developments, and all things lasers, visit and subscribe to www.laserstoday.com.

The Laser Institute of America (LIA) is the international society for laser applications and safety. Our mission is to foster lasers, laser applications, and laser safety worldwide.

 

 

LIA’s Outlook for Lasers & 3D Printing in 2017

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Booming industries like healthcare, oil, automotive and aerospace are quickly becoming today’s 3D printing epicenters. As we saw at LAM 2017, From custom dental parts to working engine parts, the 3D printers used in Additive Manufacturing (AM) are improving and streamlining manufacturing. The advances across industries in 2017 offer the promise of a better tomorrow and the competitive force of being the first to get there.

Lasers & 3D Printing Outlook: 2017

Boeing, Siemens, GE, and Audi are just a few of the companies actively embracing the innovative possibilities offered by this new technology. The benefits to be gained from implementing additive manufacturing processes are many. Production is more efficient by creating complex, individual parts. Manufacturers are now able to expedite production time, use precision geometries and reduce the weight of parts, while at the same time maintaining strength.

What will 3D printing & lasers do for the world in 2017?

Recent Milestones & Challenges

While some companies have already modified their manufacturing processes, others are forecasting AM will be applied to their industries on a macro scale. For example, Siemens just celebrated the completion of the world’s first 3D printed turbine blade trials. The company boasts that this accomplishment will reduce the time between design and testing from two years to two months. Also, Scandinavian Oil and Gas Magazine recently published an article on how metal 3D printing will increase the flexibility of production for oil and gas manufacturing.

In a summary of the 2016 Wohlers Report, Forbes revealed just how widespread the use of 3D printing has become, as there were 278,000 desktop 3D printers purchased in a single year. Taking data from the Wohlers Report, the article went on to describe the financial impact of these purchases. Overall, in 2015 the value of the additive manufacturing industry increased to $5.165 billion.

According to TechTarget’s Albert McKeon, companies now face challenges such as how to change long-established manufacturing processes, how to safely incorporate AM into product development and manufacturing, and how to effectively harness this innovative potential by determining how their industry will benefit most from using 3D printing and AM.  Pushing forward and encouraging further innovation, NASA is in the midst of holding a contest to build a 3D printed habitat for deep space exploration. The intent of the contest is to create sustainable housing solutions which can also be used on earth.

Courtesy: Wohlers Associates

What We Can Expect to See Next

3D printing is a gateway to more: more customizations, more parts manufactured at a faster pace and more opportunities to introduce these technologies into a range of industries. Every day new applications of this technology are developed, and more industries are determining how to best incorporate 3D printing into their value chain.

With the increased applications of 3D printing and additive manufacturing, the need to standardize these procedures has grown. Private and public sector organizations are teaming up to address this need. Just this month, America Makes and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) published a roadmap which identifies gaps in AM standards and areas requiring more R&D. Per 3DPrint.com, as more industries adopt this technology in different ways, the need to continue to develop regulatory procedures will grow.

Your Turn: Which Additive Manufacturing innovation over the last several months do you think will have the biggest impact on 2017? COMMENT Below.

Stay updated on the latest 3D Printing & AM Trends. Follow the LasersToday.com blog here to receive the latest thought leadership by email. To learn more about LIA’s LAM Workshop, visit the official LAM website.

LAM 2017

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Become Part of the Laser Additive Manufacturing Revolution

By Michelle L. Stock

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has already made big headlines this year as companies such as GE and Ford have announced major initiatives. These headlines hint at the ways that AM processes will impact the manufacturing world and reinforce expectations that an increasing number of production parts will be produced using them. What’s more, metal additive manufacturing has become the fastest growing segment of additive manufacturing as processes mature and the economics of the industrially-available tools become more compelling. As AM makes further inroads in many major industries, LIA’s Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM®) Workshop provides an unparalleled opportunity to meet with leaders in the development and deployment of laser-based additive manufacturing.

LIA is the world’s premier and oldest organization promoting lasers and their applications and is in its ninth year hosting the LAM Workshop which will be held on Feb. 21-22, 2017 in Houston, TX. Well-known as an aerospace hub and home to strong medical and energy (including both traditional and renewable) sectors, the Houston region has become one of the top ranked US manufacturing cities and provides an ideal setting for advanced manufacturing meetings.

How do Lasers Impact Additive Manufacturing?

As LAM 2017 General Chair Prof. Milan Brandt explains, “The laser has played a pivotal role in the growth of metal AM systems globally in the last few years and will continue to do so in the future. Because it is at the ‘heart’ of metal AM technology, laser developments in terms of power, efficiency, beam quality and reliability parallel the growth and application of metal AM systems globally.”

Brandt continues, “LAM 2017 will provide an opportunity for national and international practitioners involved with laser technology to discuss and explore the latest topics, challenges and progress in additive technology and applications.” He adds that, “the new hot topics include nano-additive technology, medical applications and new software tools.”

Figure of a model of a bone and pelvis with lattice type titanium implant designed and manufactured at RMIT Centre for Additive Manufacturing.

Figure of a spinal Ti lattice-based disc in a model of deformed lumbar vertebrae. The disc was manufactured at RMIT Centre for Additive Manufacturing and implanted into a patient in 2015.

This year, LIA has tapped Brandt of RMIT University (Melbourne, Australia) as General Chair, along with John Hunter of LPW Technology (Pittsburgh, PA) and Prof. Minlin Zhong of Tsinghua University (Beijing, China) as Co-Chairs. Brandt brings 30 years of expertise in laser material processing to his work in additive manufacturing processes. Hunter is an expert in powder manufacture for additive manufacturing. Zhong has a wealth of experience in laser micro- and nano- fabrication and laser surface engineering. With their background and knowledge, this year’s workshop chairs have prepared an outstanding program that builds on past LAM Workshops, provides the latest updates, and peaks into the future.

The Program: AM Trends, Technologies, Applications & Something New

The LAM program will kick off with an overview of Trends in Laser Additive Manufacturing by major companies with high visibility to the state-of-the-art in additive manufacturing. The keynote presentation will be from Greg Morris discussing Accelerating the Additive Revolution. GE’s already extensive activities in AM are undergoing a period of rapid evolution as new acquisitions such as Concept Laser are integrated. A pioneer in the use of AM for medical devices, Stryker Corporation, will be represented by Marc Esformes who will speak about Additive Manufacturing of Medical Implants. Arconic (formerly Alcoa) has also been deeply involved in AM as a material provider and John Barnes will close the session presenting Arconic’s Additive Manufacturing is about the Making.

The first day sessions will continue with speakers from both academia and industry who will provide details on the building blocks of AM: materials, structures and design. To finish off the first day, the final session will focus on a new and exciting area of AM for micro- and nano- structures, and includes a talk on laser printing of graphene.

Day two will focus on technologies and applications. Wayne King of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) will start the program off with a keynote on Simulation and Modeling of the Metal Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing Process. Dr. King is an expert on the transition from conventional manufacturing methods to metal additive manufacturing, and LLNL has been a leader in simulation of laser-based AM. The program will continue with the latest updates on monitoring of AM processes and beam profiling and includes talks by Fraunhofer IWS and Siemens.

World-class Networking

One of the highlights of LAM 2017 is the Exhibitor Reception, which caps off the first day of the Workshop. It provides an informal chance to interact with speakers, attendees, and also with LAM’s sponsors, including Alabama Laser, American Cladding Technologies, Inc., Fraunhofer USA, IPG Photonics Corporation, Laserline Inc., LPW Technology, Inc., Optomec,  OR Laser Technology, Inc., Polymet Corporation, Praxair Surface Technologies and TRUMPF Inc. The exhibition will include many key additive manufacturing suppliers. The Reception provides time to network, time to recharge over drinks and food, and most importantly, a chance to find solutions to your additive manufacturing challenges.

“This isn’t just a workshop,” said Jim Naugle, Marketing Director with LIA. “This is an opportunity to establish lifelong business relationships with experts in their respective fields. Our goal is for attendees to leave with more than business cards, we want them to leave with business partners.”

The Must-attend AM Event

LAM 2017 will provide attendees with depth of knowledge in the major laser-based processing technologies, as well as the latest applications and trends. This is the go-to event for laser additive manufacturing. Don’t miss out — visit www.lia.org/lam for more information and to register today. See you in Houston!

Meet Glowforge™ – February’s Featured Corporate Member

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Glowforge is a 3D laser printer that can create amazing things from various materials at the push of a button. In 2014, Glowforge was founded in Seattle, Washington with the goal of making CNC laser cutter/engravers cheaper, more capable and easier to use through a low-cost desktop unit that comes equipped with cameras, accelerometers and modern cloud-based software.

Meet Glowforge, February 2017’s Featured Corporate Member.

In 2015, Glowforge launched a crowdfunding campaign at Maker Faire in New York where their 3-D laser printer made its world debut. Their booth had extremely long lines as they ran prints for hundreds of excited visitors. The campaign was intended to reach $2 million in pre-orders, which was enough to give them the confidence to mass-produce their machines.

According to Glowforge, which is an LIA Corporate Member, the product was a hit and they garnered positive feedback from small businesses, inventors and creatives alike.

“It turns out a lot of people saw Glowforge and decided it would change their lives,” said Bailey Nelson, the company’s Community Manager. “30 days after the launch, we had received nearly $28 million in pre-orders for the Glowforge 3D laser printer, making it the largest 30-day crowdfunding campaign in history.”

Today, Glowforge credits its online community for the brand’s continued success. The community offers ideas, advice, and wisdom about working with lasers and other fabrication tools and techniques. Customer contributions include feature ideas, material suggestions, and crowd-sourced tutorial developments.

A row of Glowforge printers, courtesy of the company.

Since the launch, their staff has grown from 14 to approximately 40 employees and they are not slowing down. Currently, Glowforge is looking to hire talent with a wide range of skills, including electrical engineers and manufacturing engineers.

The company is proud of the features they have pioneered. One innovation called a “trace” allows users to draw designs with a pen. The designs are then automatically converted into printable files. Precision preview is another user-friendly option that allows customers to preview their designs superimposed on a live camera view of their material so they can drag them for perfect positioning.

Products Made on a Glowforge printer, courtesy of the company.

Another feature, 3D Autofocus, allows the laser beam to automatically focus on both smooth and curved surfaces. The technology measures the height of materials placed on the bed in several places so it can maintain the laser’s focus on various surfaces.

Among the unique elements of the Glowforge brand is their product’s ability to recognize materials. The onboard cameras automatically detect Proofgrade™ materials (a line of masked and prefinished materials designed specifically for laser processing) to automatically configure power, speed, and focus. With Proofgrade materials, users can choose variations like “cut” or “dark engrave” without having to determine speed and power settings.

“Our customers are the best in the world,” said CEO Dan Shapiro. “They tell us that Glowforge was just what they needed to help them scale their small business, prototype their latest invention from just a drawing, or level up the creative endeavors that had grown stale in their 9-5 jobs. We’re inspired every day when we see what they are doing with their Glowforge units, and we are honored to provide the tool that unlocks their creativity.”

For more information about LIA’s February Featured Corporate Member, please visit: http://glowforge.com.

This Corporate Member Feature was written by Brandon Kalloo in collaboration with Glowforge. 

Weekly Lasers Wrap Up: Week of February 6, 2017

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Weekly Lasers Wrap Up – Week of February 6, 2017

What happened this week in Lasers? Discover the latest from the Laser Institute of America LasersToday.com Weekly Wrap-Up:

3D printing by GE Additive & Morris Technologies’ Greg Morris, who will speak at LAM 2017. This was featured on LIA’s Facebook & Twitter feeds this week.

Laser Industry News

Just one year after researchers were able to detect the existence of gravitational waves using lasers, Albert Einstein Institute (AEI) researchers have developed two new technologies with greater sensitivity to gravitational waves. Check out the details here.

Image via Phys.org

Conference News

GE has positioned itself as one of the companies leading the additive manufacturing revolution. Don’t miss Greg Morris of GE Additive, delivering the Day One keynote at LAM® 2017. Learn more about Morris, and GE’s contributions to additive manufacturing applications here.

Only two weeks remain until LAM 2017! There is still time to register for this premiere additive manufacturing event, taking place February 21-22, 2017, in Houston, Texas. For more information, and to register, please visit: https://www.lia.org/conferences/lam.

This year’s LAM is in Houston, TX.

LAM 2017 will be chaired by Professor Milan Brandt of RIMT University. Learn more about Brandt’s work with lasers, additive manufacturing, and more here.

Unable to attend and want live updates from the event? Follow #LAM2017 and @laserinstitute on Twitter for live coverage of LAM® 2017. Attendees! Join the fun, and tag your updates and photos with us, as well!

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The Laser Institute of America (LIA) is the international society for laser applications and safety. Our mission is to foster lasers, laser applications, and laser safety worldwide. Find us at www.lia.org.