Meltio has introduced the Meltio M600 metal 3D printing system, designed to address long lead times, costly stock-keeping and increasingly fragile supply chains.
In bringing the Meltio M600 platform to market, Meltio believes it will increase productivity and reduce manufacturing costs, while also bringing ‘new materials to the table.’ The system is also said to be automation ready, requiring ‘minimal operator interaction’ for autonomous production.
Powered by Meltio’s Wire-Laser Deposition process, the M600 system uses wire as its feedstock, meaning the technology is ‘much cheaper, safer to handle and does not risk contamination.’ Meanwhile, a newly developed Blue Laser deposition head is said to increase printing speed while reducing energy consumption, thanks to the increased absorption of the short wavelength light compared to most industrial lasers ‘which emit near-infrared light.’ Meltio has ensure the deposition head is aligned from the factory and is not operator-adjustable to ensure consistent output and vastly reduced maintenance, while the head is ‘laden with new and improved sensor solutions’ for monitoring the printing process. The company also says the advantages of the Blue Laser deposition head are enhanced for reflective materials like copper and aluminium alloys where near-infrared lasers ‘lead to unsatisfactory results.’
Another feature of the Meltio M600 platform is the built-in 3-axis touch probe which supports ‘various types of workholding solutions’, allowing users to add features to and repair existing parts. Meltio has also sought to remove manual laser alignment to reduce touch points, and programming is said to take a matter of minutes thanks to the Meltio Horizon slicer.
Lukas Hoppe, Research+Development Director at Meltio, coommented: “The design brief for the new Meltio M600 was to imagine what the perfect 3D printer for the machine shop would look like. The vast majority of metal 3D printed parts require post-processing which is carried out in the machine shop and since our ambition is to push the large-scale adoption of metal additive manufacturing we have a very clear vision that the modern machine shop is the ideal point of entry. 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.
“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.”
Meltio’s aim with the M600 platform was to design a system that fits right into any machine shop and works alongside CNC machines. The company therefore worked towards the development of ‘a system that works like a machine tool, designed for lights-out manufacturing, and is easy to use,’ enabling existing operators to complete complex print jobs with minimal time investment. Believing it has achieved this objective, Meltio is confident its M600 system will gain traction in automotive, aerospace, oil & gas, mining, and defence.
Hoppe added: “The Meltio M600 for us was really the next logical step on our continuous journey towards mass adoption of Wire-Laser DED, the process all Meltio systems are based on. We began this work in earnest in 2019 when we started to leave the prototyping space with the launch of the Meltio M450. After learning from and improving the technology for three years, the time was finally ripe for us to work on the next system. Our goal with the Meltio M600 was to strike the right balance between machine size, cost, and productivity while being uncompromising on quality, reliability, and ease of use. To achieve this, we did not just create a “scaled up” M450, instead, we developed every single part of the machine from scratch to take the technology to the next level, based on the learnings of having manufactured and installed over 300 Laser DED machines.”
Meltio M600 specifications:
Dimensions: 1050 x 1150 x 1950 mm
Total Laser:1.000 W
Build Envelope: 300 x 400 x 600 mm
Total axis: 3
System Weight: 1000 kg
Process Control: Closed loop, laser and wire modulation
Movement System: Servo Motor Linear axis with Absolute encoder on all axes.
Touch Probe: Automated XYZ Touch Probe integrated
Enclosure: Laser safe, fully Inert
Filtration system: 3 stage particulate and chemical filtration included.
Environment Control: Control O2 and Humidity levels.
Cooling: Active water cooled chiller Included
Laser Type: 9x Direct Diode Lasers
Wire Feedstock Diameter: 0.8-1.2mm
Laser Wavelength: 450 nm
Wire Feedstock Spool: BS300 or External Wire Drum
Meltio gives early access to Spanish cement company
Meltio’s first publicly announced user of the Meltio M600 is Cementos La Cruz, a Spanish cement company.
Using the Meltio M600, the company has additively manufactured a new stainless steel nozzle that is said to enable the production of more sustainable cement parts. This company focuses on the development of low-carbon footprint cementitious materials to achieve sustainable construction.
Its additively manufactured nozzle plays a ‘decisive role in the quality of the layers’ and this, according to Meltio, requires a design that could only be produced by additive manufacturing. With the Meltio M600, Cementos La Cruz has been able to design parts that traditional manufacturing methods haven’t been able to produce.
