On April 14, 2019, Antarctic Bear learned from foreign media that Austrian welding system manufacturer SBI Produktion released a metal 3D printer (M3DP), a machine that uses plasma arc to 3D print metal parts.
Founded in 1999, SBI was originally a manufacturer of thickness control systems for the plastic film industry. In subsequent years, the company expanded its product portfolio to include plasma welding technology and metal 3D printing.
After establishing itself in the thickness control market, SBI entered other branches of the industry with its automatic tank and seam welding machines. In 2017, a 7-axis gantry system for automatic welding of fuel tanks was delivered to MT Aerospace in Augsburg. The system is driven by Austrian automation specialist Sigmatek and plasma welding arcs and is capable of working on cylinders up to 1,700 mm in diameter.
In addition, SBI's other industrial partners include Volkswagen, BMW, Audi and Siemens.
With its expertise in welding technology, SBI has now released M3DP, an Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) system.
M3DP is a directional energy deposition (DED) machine that uses a plasma arc to deposit raw materials. Plasma arc is different from gas tungsten arc welding (commonly used in the industry) because the power generating electrode is placed in the body of the welding torch. This separates the plasma arc from the protective gas, where the protective gas prevents oxidation. In addition, M3DP also has a housing that can generate an inert gas atmosphere, which makes the processing of titanium and nickel-based alloys easier.
According to SBI, one of the main advantages of its plasma arc technology is that it has a high deposition rate of up to 10 kg / h when using steel raw materials. In addition, the build volume of the machine can be customized according to customer needs, and optional field quality assurance methods have been added.
To ensure quality, the M3DP is equipped with a 3D scanner. After each layer, the part is 3D scanned to test against the original pattern of geometric deviations.