On stand B139 in Hall 12 at this year’s Formnext, 15-18 November in Frankfurt, Wayland Additive will once again be showcasing it Calibur3 metal AM machine. The Calibur3 features the Neubeam® process which delivers on all of the advantages of metal electron beam (eBeam) powder bed fusion (PBF) technology, while overcoming the troublesome issues that have traditionally limited wider adoption.

This year, beyond showing a machine on the booth, and parts that show the accuracy and versatility of the technology, the Wayland team will be keen to emphasize the immediate commercial availability of the Calibur3, the fact that machines are now being delivered to new customers across the world, the broad palette of metals and alloys that the Calibur3 can process, and the efforts the company has made to address post-processing needs within the price of the system.

Will Richardson, CEO at Wayland says, “The nature of the NeuBeam® process results in easier powder removal, no requirement for post build heat treatment to remove residual stress, and no requirement to wire erode the part off the start plate. Subtractive post processing of the part is also simplified. Despite the fact that the Calibur3 system therefore radically reduces traditional metal additive manufacturing (AM) post-processing issues, the nature of the eBeam powder bed fusion (PBF) process still requires further steps once the build is complete, specifically around powder removal and management. Wayland Additive firmly believes that an investment in Calibur3 should include — at no additional cost — the ancillary equipment necessary to post-process parts and components and we will be emphasing this point at Formnext. To achieve this, and to ensure that an investment in Calibur3 is an investment in an AM process that facilitates the production of end-use parts quickly and cost-effectively, supplied along with Calibur3 is the CaliburDPR (Depowdering & Recycling) system and/or a mobile vacuum cleaner and cyclone.”

When using the Calibur3 metal AM system, a small amount of local powder sintering occurs near the part due to the nature of the ‘hot part’ process. This sintered powder breaks down easily and can be fully recovered and re-used in the next build. CaliburDPR provides an enclosed environment that accommodates the whole Calibur3 Build tank on a moving table within the enclosure. The moving table displaces the loose powder, which flows through the CaliburDPR system to be used as blast media to blast the locally sintered material free from the part’s surface.

CaliburDPR also features an integrated sieving system, to remove large particles that cannot be re-used. The refined metal powder flows directly into the Calibur3 powder hopper, ready for re-loading onto the Calibur3 system.

The Wayland team at Formnext are also eager to discuss the wide range of materials that the Calibur3 machine can process, many of which are not compatible using traditional eBeam processes or laser PBF processes.

Peter Hansford, Business Development Director at Wayland Additive says, “The Calibur3 produces fully dense parts in refractory metals such as tungsten and also highly reflective alloys. Being a hot part rather than a hot bed process, NeuBeam® creates parts that are free from residual stresses because the high processing temperatures required are applied to the part, not the bed, ensuring free-flowing powder post-build (no sinter cake) and stress-free parts with reduced energy consumption. This opens up the ability to process a range of metals that are difficult or impossible to process on traditional metal AM machines such as titanium alloys (including titanium aluminide), copper alloys, nickel-based alloys, nickel-based super alloys, high carbon steels, stainless and duplex stainless steel, tungsten alloys, and cobalt-based alloys. This opens up a raft of applications across a range of industry sectors hitherto unable to benefit from the use of AM as a production process.”

Wayland Additive
www.waylandadditive.com