Aerospace

New facility for Selective Electron Beam Melting

Fraunhofer IFAM Dresden orders new facility for Selective Electron Beam Melting with ARCAM

With the new Q20plus by the Swedish manufacturer ARCAM, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Dresden will be the first R&D institution featuring the facility with the biggest build chamber currently available for Selective Electron Beam Melting. It has been specifically designed for cost-efficient production of aerospace components from titanium alloys, but will also be usable for other materials and applications in the future.

The build chamber with a diameter of 350 mm and a height of 380 mm is especially suitable for big components, but also for the optimal and efficient manufacturing of small parts. At the same time, the latest facility is distinguished by high build rates.

Arcam build chamber

Selective Electron Beam Melting (SEBM) is a powder-based process for additive manufacturing in which especially materials with a high melting point, high sensitivity towards impurities and/or susceptibility to cracking are selectively fused by an electron beam. Among these materials are titanium, nickel and refractory alloys as well as special steels. Thus, finished parts are generated under high vacuum whose properties are comparable to casting or forging alloys. Furthermore, they do not require any secondary finishing depending on the respective application. Consequently, raw materials are especially saved by SEBM.

Fraunhofer IFAM in Dresden thus invests in its second facility for additive manufacturing of 3D components via electron beam melting.

EBDM_Illustration-web
Selective Electron Beam Melting Process

This is a further step in establishing a center for electron beam melting at the institute. Within the next two years, a technical center will be built in which several facilities including special facilities will be placed.

The institute offers partners from industry and research versatile development services from powder to component, e.g. feasibility studies, the assessment of powders for additive manufacturing and the qualification of new materials for SEBM. Furthermore, component development starting from the powder, leading on to the construction (e.g. topology optimization for weight reduction and/or component integration) up to the manufacturing via SEBM and post-processing are part of the offer.