In Part 1 of this article, I drew on the notion of time travel from the 1985 movie Back to the Future to explore the accuracy of predictions made in my article from the August 2012 issue of FORGE. Without the fictional flux capacitor, which enabled time travel in the DeLorean time machine used in the movie, we will continue this analysis of the predictions regarding AM prototyping and forging and AM short-run production and forging.

Additive manufacturing (AM) has rapidly evolved since its inception, and investment in AM technology has flourished in both the public and private sectors. This article, the first of two parts, evaluates predictions made in FORGE in 2012 and illustrates some appropriate applications that could affect (or already have affected) forging processes and markets.

Ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM), developed by Fabrisonic, combines a unique room-temperature metal-deposition process with the ease of traditional CNC milling.

The BMW Group opened its new Additive Manufacturing Campus in Germany. The facility brings together production of prototype and series parts under one roof, in addition to research into 3D-printing technologies and training for the global rollout of toolless production. It will allow the BMW Group, which produced about 300,000 parts by additive manufacturing last year, to develop its position as technology leader in the utilization of additive manufacturing in the automotive industry. The campus, which was an investment of approximately $16.8 million, operates around 50 industrial systems that work with metals and plastics.

With the new year freshly underway, it seems a good time to gaze in the crystal ball and consider what trends will likely impact the climate for manufacturing in the U.S. and abroad during this year.

Siemens and Materials Solutions opened a highly advanced metal AM innovation center in Orlando, Fla. The 17,000-square-foot facility offers a pairing of design with manufacturing, implementing robotics, rapid prototyping, scanning, digital tools and on-site metal AM. Materials Solutions – a Siemens Business – uses selective laser melting (SLM) technology for the manufacture of high-performance metal parts, with a focus on high-temperature superalloys. The Siemens innovation center will focus on rapid problem solving supporting the company’s energy businesses, while Materials Solutions will offer additive services to support the innovation center and external customers. 

For the third consecutive time, Cleveland played host to the biennial Forge Fair, which was held on the shores of Lake Erie May 21-23, 2019. Nearly 2,000 attendees and 169 exhibitors made Forge Fair 2019 the largest ever.

Bright AM was designed to manage and support additive manufacturing’s unique challenges – tracking the process of disparate parts 3D-printed together on a single plate as well as everything from incoming orders to work-in-progress to delivery confirmation.

Direct metal deposition (DMD) is a powder jet additive-manufacturing (AM) technique that can be used for low-cost build, repair, hardfacing and reconfiguration of forging dies.

Additive manufacturing (AM) has become a specific topic of interest in the general manufacturing community due to its novelty and projected abilities for ground-up automation.