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

Sciaky, a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries (PSI), provider of metal additive manufacturing (AM) solutions, has announced that Airbus will take delivery of a state-of-the-art Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) 110 System in December 2016. The aircraft manufacturer will utilise Sciaky's industrial-scale metal 3D printing system to produce large structural parts made of titanium.

The company’s EBAM process combines computer-aided design (CAD), additive manufacturing processing principles and an electron beam heat source. Starting with a 3D model from a CAD program, Sciaky'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 post-production machining. In the end, there is minimal material waste.

Sciaky brings quality and control together in one step with IRISS – the Interlayer Real-time Imaging and Sensing System. IRISS is the only real-time monitoring and control system in the metal 3D printing market that can sense and digitally self-adjust metal deposition with precision and repeatability. This closed-loop control is the primary reason that Sciaky's EBAM 3D printing process delivers consistent part geometry, mechanical properties, microstructure, and metal chemistry, from the first part to the last.

EBAM utilises wire feedstock, which can accommodate a wide variety of metals and refractory alloys such as titanium, tantalum, niobium, tungsten, Inconel, and stainless steels. Sciaky's EBAM 110 System has a work envelope of 70" (1778mm) x 47" (1194 mm) x 63" (1600mm).

Bob Phillips, vice president of marketing for Sciaky, commented: "Sciaky is very proud to partner with a world-class innovator like Airbus. We all know that metal 3D printing technology is going to revolutionise manufacturing in the aerospace industry, and Sciaky is committed to being at the forefront of this movement."

www.sciaky.com

www.airbus.com