Sele
ctiv
e La
ser
Mel
ting
(SLM
) A
lase
r m
elts
pow
der
in a
pow
der
bed.
Aft
er e
ach
wor
k st
ep a
new
laye
r of
pow
der
is a
dded
to
the
resu
lting
wor
kpie
ce. T
hen
the
lase
r is
use
d ag
ain
and
mel
ts t
he n
ext
laye
r.
Lase
r d
irec
t M
etal
Dep
osit
ion
(LM
D)
Pow
der
is b
low
n fr
om n
ozzl
es in
to t
he la
ser
beam
and
mel
ts
at t
he p
lace
whe
re t
he n
ew la
yer
is r
equi
red.
Up
to f
our
diff
eren
t m
etal
s ca
n be
com
bine
d to
for
m a
n al
loy.
The
first
3D
prin
ting
proc
esse
s w
ere
deve
lope
d in
the
198
0s. N
owad
ays,
3D
prin
ting
as p
art
of r
apid
pro
toty
ping
is a
n es
tabl
ishe
d te
chno
logy
use
d to
fab
ri-ca
te s
cale
mod
els
from
pla
stic
ver
y qu
ickl
y an
d ve
ry fl
exib
ly in
are
as li
ke a
rchi
tect
ure,
eng
inee
ring
or s
urge
ry. I
n fu
ture
, 3D
prin
ting
is t
o be
use
d to
pro
duce
no
t on
ly m
odel
s bu
t re
al, f
unct
ioni
ng c
ompo
nent
s w
ith s
uffic
ient
mec
hani
cal p
rope
rtie
s an
d ad
equa
te h
eat
resi
stan
ce –
as
ind
ivid
ual p
iece
s an
d on
a s
mal
l se
ries
scal
e. T
his
is o
nly
poss
ible
with
met
als
or c
eram
ics.
At
the
mom
ent,
the
re a
re t
wo
met
hods
for
for
min
g m
etal
lic o
bjec
ts w
ith t
he h
elp
of m
etal
pow
der
and
lase
r be
ams.
In o
rder
to
form
a c
ompl
etel
y ne
w in
dust
ry f
rom
3D
lase
r pr
intin
g, w
e ne
ed m
ore
than
just
spe
cial
mac
hine
s. L
ots
of t
hing
s ha
ve t
o be
rei
nven
ted.
N
ew p
ossi
bilit
ies
are
open
ing
up in
the
fiel
ds o
f en
gine
erin
g, h
igh-
tem
pera
ture
tec
hnol
ogy
and
desi
gn a
s w
ell a
s in
the
gea
ring
of c
ompa
nies
. Em
pa is
invo
lved
in m
any
of t
he k
ey p
arts
of
this
pro
cess
.
(LM
D)
and
mel
ts
for
LM)
er e
ach
to t
heag
ain
Pictures: Trumpf GmbH + Co. KG
at t
hepl
ace
whe
re t
he n
ew la
yer
is r
equi
red.
Up
to
diff
eren
t m
etal
s ca
n be
com
bine
d to
for
m a
n al
loy.
four
Add
itiv
e M
anuf
actu
ring
focu
s le
nses
mov
ing
mirr
or
lase
r be
am
ma
nufa
cture
dm
eta
l pa
rtm
etal
pow
der
bed
tool
to
smoo
then
the
su
rfac
e of
the
pow
der
floor
of w
orki
ng c
ham
ber
can
be lo
wer
ed s
tep
by s
tep
pow
der
supp
ly
pow
der
feed
sup
ply
lase
r
wor
king
cha
mbe
r
From
Lab
to
Indu
stry
lase
r be
am
iner
t ga
s at
mos
pher
e
met
al p
owde
r
met
al p
owde
r su
pply
iner
t ga
s no
zzle
ma
nufa
cture
d
met
al p
art
Rec
yclin
gC
an t
he m
etal
gra
nula
te
from
the
SLM
pro
cess
be
reus
ed?
Wha
t ki
nd o
f
trea
tmen
t is
nec
essa
ry?
(Em
pa)
C fr
Opt
imiz
ed la
ser
use
Opt
imiz
ed c
ontr
ol
of la
ser
beam
s or
ele
ctro
n
beam
s al
low
s fo
r
impr
oved
mat
eria
l qua
lity
and
high
er p
rodu
ctio
n
spee
ds a
t th
e sa
me
time.
(Em
pa, E
PF L
ausa
nne,
Insp
ire
AG
) Ex
tern
al f
orm
of
the
prin
ted
com
pone
ntW
hat
is t
he s
urfa
ce li
ke?
Wha
t
abou
t tr
uene
ss t
o sc
ale?
Are
the
re
inte
rnal
str
esse
s in
the
com
pone
nt
– ho
w c
an t
hey
be p
reve
nted
?
Qua
lity
cont
rol u
sing
non-
dest
ruct
ive
test
ing
met
hods
.(E
mpa
, ETH
Zur
ich,
Insp
ire
AG
)
p
abo
inte no (E
Mic
rost
ruct
ure
of t
he
prin
ted
com
pone
ntW
hat
allo
ys a
re c
reat
ed?
Can
new
type
s of
allo
ys b
e fo
rmed
with
mat
eria
l gra
die
nts?
New
typ
es o
f
com
posi
te m
ater
ials
with
a d
egre
e of
hard
ness
, tou
ghne
ss o
r te
mpe
ratu
re
resi
stan
ce n
ever
ach
ieve
d be
fore
?(E
mpa
, EPF
Lau
sann
e, P
SI, I
nspi
re A
G)
M W
com ha
Des
ign
Engi
neer
s ca
n de
sign
com
pone
nts
with
a g
eom
etry
tha
t w
ould
not
be p
ossi
ble
in m
illin
g pr
oces
ses.
New
ligh
twei
ght
desi
gn c
once
pts,
new
ass
embl
y st
rate
gies
, new
com
-
bina
tions
of
com
pone
nts
beco
me
pos
sibl
e. (E
TH Z
uric
h, In
spir
e A
G)
E N
new b
New
3D
pri
ntin
g m
achi
nes
New
con
cept
s fo
r 3D
pro
duct
ion
mac
hine
s an
d m
achi
ne
fleet
s. F
rom
labo
rato
ry
man
ufac
turin
g to
mas
s
prod
uctio
n „o
n de
man
d“.
(ETH
Zur
ich,
Insp
ire
AG
)
Fun
ctio
naliz
ing
pow
der
New
, pou
rabl
e
met
al p
owde
r
for
SLM
and
LM
D
(Em
pa)
Exte
rna
Post
-pro
cess
ing
Wha
t po
st-p
roce
ssin
g is
need
ed f
or t
he c
ompo
nent
befo
re it
can
be
inst
alle
d?(E
PF L
ausa
nne)
Pos
Wh
need
e
befo
New
bus
ines
s m
odel
s fo
r “I
ndus
try
4.0”
Bu
sine
ss m
odel
for
3D
pro
duct
ion
“on
dem
and”
. Leg
al s
olut
ions
for
prod
uct
liabi
lity
and
cert
ifica
tion
for
ind
ivid
ual 3
D p
iece
s an
d
smal
l 3D
ser
ies.
(ETH
Zur
ich)
