Sciaky to deliver industrial-scale metal 3-D printer to Airbus

Chicago-based Sciaky Inc., a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries Inc. (PSI) and provider of metal additive manufacturing (AM) systems, has announced that Airbus will take delivery of an Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM™) 110 system in December 2016. The aircraft manufacturer will use the industrial-scale metal 3-D printing system to produce large structural parts made of titanium.

Starting with a 3-D model from a CAD program, EBAM’s fully articulated, moving electron beam gun deposits metal via wire feedstock, layer by layer, until the part reaches near-net shape. From there, the near-net-shape part requires heat treatment and postproduction machining.

The IRISS™ interlayer real-time imaging and sensing system can sense and digitally self-adjust metal deposition to ensure consistent part geometry, mechanical properties, microstructure, and metal chemistry from the first part to the last.

EBAM uses wire feedstock to accommodate a variety of metals and refractory alloys, such as titanium, tantalum, niobium, tungsten, INCONEL® alloy, and stainless steels.