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9 March 2020

TRUMPF's metal AM system set to have dramatic impact at the Manufacturing Technology Centre

A TruPrint 3000 metal additive manufacturing (AM) system from TRUMPF has been acquired by the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC). Installed within the MTC’s National Centre of Additive Manufacturing (NCAM), this advanced machine, which is based on laser metal fusion (LMF) technology, forms a key part of the NCAM capability.

The NCAM is the instigator of the DRAMA project (Digital Reconfiguration Additive Manufacturing facilities for Aerospace), a three-year, £14.3 million collaborative research project) which in turn forms part of the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute’s programme; started November 2017. 

The TRUMPF TruPrint 3000 metal AM system has been located in NCAM’s recently opened innovation and knowledge hub for metal AM. In a significant advance for the UK, the new hub aims to lead research, development and collaboration in metal AM, developing and testing ideas for taking the technology forward.

“The idea behind installing the TRUMPF TruPrint 3000 is to showcase laser powder bed technology,” explains Ross Trepleton, Chief Engineer at the MTC. “Our new innovation and knowledge hub for metal AM has only been open since October, but already we have a range of different AM platforms in place, the latest of which is the TruPrint 3000. We’re trying to demonstrate to industry the fundamental differences between the various AM technologies available on the market.”

The TruPrint 3000 is fitted with a TRUMPF 500 W fibre laser offering a wavelength of 1,070 nm. Notably, the focal diameter, which can be individually adjusted between 100 and 500 μm, makes it possible to react very flexibly to various component requirements. Layer thickness lies between 20-150 microns to produce even more detailed workpieces.

 


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