Meltio, a manufacturer of wire-laser metal deposition systems, recently released a new metal 3D printer that looks introduce metal additive manufacturing to the world of industrial production outside of niche areas.
The new Meltio M600 is designed to solve problems of long lead times, costly stock-keeping and increasingly fragile supply chains, thanks to its metal 3D printing technology. This new system increases productivity and reduces manufacturing costs, brings new materials to the table and most importantly is ready to perform 24/7 with minimal operator interaction for autonomous production, according to the company.
3D printing applications
According to Meltio, the M600 is the first industrial wire-laser metal 3D printer that incorporates, among other technological advances, a Blue Laser deposition head. These lasers improve energy absorption and printing efficiency across the metal spectrum and open up new material possibilities while reducing the carbon footprint for production.
The Meltio engineers have also managed to improve the energy distribution and wire guidance of the system. The deposition head is aligned from the factory and not operator-adjustable, which leads to consistent output and vastly reduced maintenance. Lastly, the head is laden with new and improved sensors to monitor the printing process for improved reliability.
“Manufacturing faces many challenges globally, from long lead times and stock-keeping costs caused by long and fragile supply chains to an ever-growing pressure to lower costs and reduce emissions,” said Lukas Hoppe, R&D director at Meltio. “3D Printing has huge potential to address these issues as it helps reduce lead times, and manufacturing dependencies by printing parts in-house, reduces warehouse inventory as the raw material can be transformed into the final part on demand and reduces costs by applying material only where it is needed.”
While the Meltio M600 is interesting to a broad range of sectors, the company’s goal was to design a system that fits into any machine shop and works alongside CNC machines. This design creates value for the organization, according to Meltio, be reducing material waste and lead times, allowing for more manufacturing flexibility. The company said the M600 works like a machine tool, designed for lights-out manufacturing, and enables existing operators to complete complex print jobs with minimal time investment.
Advanced Robotics joins Meltio as sales partner
Along with the M600 news, Meltio also announced a new partnership with Italy-based Advanced Robotics.
Advanced Robotics will focus on building a supportive ecosystem for Meltio’s technology in the Italian territory, partnering to expand business opportunities alongside technology centers, tooling machine companies, robotic integrators, academia and industry.
“We are excited about our emerging partnership with Meltio, as this is a landmark moment for the Italian industry,” said Luca Verzeletti, technical engineer at Advanced Robotics. “Whether our customer is looking for a conventional 3D metal printer or a printing system integrated with a CNC machine or a robotic arm 3D printing system for industry that seamlessly combines addition and subtraction processes… with Meltio we will fit any of these scenarios. This technology opens up entirely new possibilities in the production of metal parts.”
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