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International Perspective 30 MoldMaking Technology —— FEBRUARY 2018 By Barbara Schulz Additive Manufacturing: Stand-Alone Was Yesterday Additive manufacturing is no longer considered a stand-alone technology but is being integrated increasingly into existing manufacturing processes. W ith the growing poten- tial and market size of additive manufactur- ing (AM), companies are invest- ing in driving development. The range of materials is steadily expanding. Refractory metals and high-performance polymers are expected to become avail- able within the next few years and to enable new applications. R&D; in multi-laser systems is working toward creating larger building spaces, which will allow for components to have lengths of approximately 2 to 3 meters. Although initially these larger components are likely to be of lower quality than smaller com- ponents, multi-laser systems are expected to catch up fast. These trends were evident at the Formnext show, which took place this past fall for the third time in Frankfurt, Germany, with 470 exhibitors showcasing an overwhelming number of technologies for tool and moldmaking. Larger Build Volumes and Multi-Laser Systems Formnext 2017 offered an optimum platform for AM companies to showcase their developments, including some world-firsts. For example, GE Additive debuted its first piece of GE Additive- branded machinery. The new Additive Technology Large Area System (ATLAS) metal 3D printing machine is a beta technology that teams at GE Additive and Concept Laser developed. It has a build volume of 1.1 by 1.1 by 0.3 meters, and its Z axis is scalable to beyond 1 meter, depending on customers' requests. Images courtesy of Barbara Schulz. Renishaw says its RenAM 500Q four-laser metal AM system can significantly improve productivity with a build rate ranging to 150 cubic centimeters per hour. Renishaw introduced its RenAM 500Q, a four-laser metal AM system. The company says it can significantly improve productivity. EOS debuted the EOS P 500, a polymer 3D printing system that enables mass production. Trumpf also is ready for series production with its three-laser, 500-W fiber laser TruPrint 5000, which uses laser metal fusion (LMF) technology to build parts. The three lasers are fitted with optics that Trumpf specially designed. The company says that this enables the lasers to operate simultaneously at any point in the system's build chamber. The industry has given much thought to system automa- tion. For example, the TruPrint 5000 is able to start the manufacturing process automatically, which leads to a robust process with less work for the operator. As soon as the build