Affordable, Fast Metal 3D Printing

3D printing using Wire Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) is a great way to make metal parts efficiently and affordably. Wire laser metal 3D printing technology stacks up weld beads using wire feedstock and can even use two wires at once. The wire feed is safe, clean, and easy to work with. The Meltio engine can turn a normal CNC machine into a hybrid manufacturing system. Alternatively, the Meltio engine can be installed on an industrial robot. Creating a Meltio engine robot cell allows you to make parts with almost no limits on size or complex geometries, this allows for the design freedom that is commonly associated with additive manufacturing.

In just a few hours, you can print fully dense (99.98%), affordable metal parts. In addition, the Dual wire system lets you create a hardened face or face designed for corrosion resistance. You can also even make new alloys on the fly. Overall wire laser deposition gives you a versatile and accessible way to produce metal parts. The wire feed makes it reliable, simple to integrate, and increases cost effectiveness.

Metal Wire instead of Metal Powder

Using metal wire instead of metal powder for 3D printing is an important innovation for metal 3d printing technology. First, Laser metal 3D printing wastes significantly less material than powder 3D printing. Powder methods lose up to 18% of the metal materials used, but wire printing has basically no waste. That’s a huge cost saving right there, up to 10 times cheaper than powder. Outside of cost-effectiveness, wire printing can crank out parts up to 4 times faster than other metal 3D printing solutions. This is because the Meltio M450 metal 3D printer does not have to pause to spread new powder layers like in powder bed fusion. The combo of less waste, lower costs, and better speed makes wire 3D printing attractive for real-world manufacturing use. Switching to wire instead of powder can be a total game changer that aligns with lean and green goals.

Laser Metal 3D Printing or Arc Deposition

When comparing laser deposition vs. arc deposition, some unique advantages become apparent. The Meltio technology makes parts with better internal structure, gives more control over the process, and has a nicer surface finish. Those advantages come from how the laser transfers energy vs. the arc. Laser wire printing specifically has perks over other wire options. This technology opens up new possibilities for keeping up with the evolving manufacturing world.

Heat Control

Meltio’s wire laser method really stands out because it can make a better microstructure compared to old-school wire arc ways. The microstructure is super compact around the heated part (HAZ), which means the area near where the metals are laid down doesn’t get too hot. This reduces the chance of heat-related defects or damage to the layers underneath. The compact HAZ makes the material’s properties better – more strength, hardness, and durability. Managing the heat precisely is especially important for sensitive, expensive materials like titanium and stainless steel.

Dimensional Control

One big challenge with metal power-based wire arc methods is they’re hard to control. For the last 20 years, lots of effort and money went into stabilizing wire arcs as a metal 3D printing solution, often using extra equipment like scanners and thermal cameras. Meltio technology has built-in control advantages. The wire goes into the melt pool lined up with the laser beam. This in-line position is crucial for a stable, controlled printing process and the wire laser method doesn’t need as much extra stabilization, simplifying the workflow and reducing errors.

Over-thickness is minimal

The surface finish from wire laser metal 3d printing is superior to arc printing. With arc printing, you usually need parts to be 5mm thicker than the final dimension. The extra thickness makes sure the layers fuse together nicely and you get a smooth surface. But wire laser only needs 1. 5mm of extra thickness to get an impressive finish. So you use less material and you don’t have to do as much machining afterward to get the part to the right size. This saves time and money, which is a big deal for anyone engaged in producing precision metal parts for production or prototyping.

Conclusion

In summary, Meltio technology has huge advantages over old-school arc printing, powder-based methods, and other metal 3D printing solutions. The materials are better, you’ve got more control, and you waste less material. This improves quality, efficiency, and performance. Wire laser metal 3D printing and the Meltio M450 3D printer are set to be a major metal 3D printing solution in metal additive manufacturing, and the 3D printing industry.

Want to know more?  Read more from our Introducing: Meltio blog series by clicking on the blog titles listed below:

• Advantages of Meltio
• Where does Wire-Laser technology fit?
• How do you decide if a Meltio wire-laser metal 3D printer makes sense for your business?