Arcam Q20 Targets Aerospace Industry

The narrative for additive manufacturing (AM) in 2014 seems to be centered around a change from prototyping to end-use products. That isn’t to say AM doesn’t still see plenty of use in rapid prototyping, it just means companies have begun to investigate how the technology can be turned to other purposes. One industry that is showing a large amount of interest in AM-built parts is aerospace.

3D printing can build lighter parts with less waste than other manufacturing methods, which makes it extremely attractive for building aerospace parts. While nearly any metal AM system can be turned to production of aerospace parts, a few companies are building 3D printers specifically with aerospace in mind. Arcam is looking to tap into the aerospace market with its Arcam Q20 EBM system.

“With Arcam Q20 we sharpen our offering to one of our main markets, the aerospace industry. Arcam Q20 represents a new EBM generation, with a focus on continued industrialisation of the technology,” stated Magnus René, CEO of Arcam. “Arcam Q20 strengthens our already strong product program for aerospace manufacturing, a market that puts high demands on both the technology and the application expertise.”

The Arcam Q20 is essentially a scaled up version of the Q10, which was designed for orthopedic manufacturing. Both systems use the same EB gun, but the Q20 offers a larger build envelope at 350 x 380 mm (Ø/H). The larger build envelope not only allows users to generate bigger parts, but also to build more parts simultaneously.

Because the EBM process requires a vacuum chamber to do its work, monitoring the build process isn’t as simple as bending down to take a peek. Arcam has attempted to limit potential quality issues by adding a camera (called “LayerCam”) that tracks a build in progress.

The Q20 is powered by a 3000 W beam, and the company’s new MultiBeam process allows for several different melt pools to work simultaneously, increasing build speeds. Arcam claims its newest EBM machine has improved resolution over older models, but I wasn’t able to find any hard numbers in its materials.

Below you’ll find a video about Arcam.

Source: Arcam