The Nuclear AMRC of the U.K. installed an automated bulk additive-manufacturing cell that can build high-integrity parts from the ground up and add metal features to large forgings. In addition to creating near-net-shape parts, the cell can also add non-critical structural features to large pump and valve casings or pressure vessels, reducing the initial size and complexity of expensive forgings or castings. The 10-meter x 5-meter cell, which was built by Kuka Systems UK, features a six-axis robot arm mounted on a three-axis  9-meter gantry plus a two-axis manipulator with a 3.5-meter-diameter turntable. The robot will work directly from a CAD model to lay down weld material to create three-dimensional geometries.

Click here to go to the Nuclear AMRC's website for more on this story and to see the cell being installed and tested.