Manufacturing is a sector that is always in progress. Over the last period, DED Additive Manufacturing has helped to make it grow, thanks to its capacity for large-scale productions and its multi-material capability to name but two of the elements that characterize these machines. Here are the bases that you need to know about this technology.
What is DED Additive Manufacturing?
This process is also known as Directed Energy Deposition. It is one of a few types of additive manufacturing process that involves building parts by depositing layers of material. To do so, DED additive manufacturing process uses a high-energy heat source, such as a laser or an electron beam that melts and fuses metallic powders or wires. As it functions, the liquid created is deposited onto a substrate or on previously deposited layers. The heat source is precisely controlled to enable accurate melting and bonding of the material, making it one of the most precise solutions in manufacturing today.
Why is it used for Large Scale Productions?
Manufacturing is always about the time that it takes to create and finalize an object. Time means money, which means a cost for the company and the customers using its services. If DED additive manufacturing is particularly suited for large-scale productions, it is because it can build parts with high deposition rates, completing the process faster than other manufacturing machines, including the traditional process. It also allows for the creation of complex geometries, which is something that many customers look for, while they don’t want to pay extra because of the time it takes to produce such precise objects. It explains why most choose metal additive manufacturing solutions today.
Which Materials can it use?
DED Additive Manufacturing is built to use a variety of metals in order to create parts. But it also possesses another advantage in comparison to other manufacturing processes, which is to offer the possibility to customers of using multi-materials to produce a single object. This capability of the machine enables the production of hybrid parts that can have different material properties inside them. For example, it can combine high-strength and corrosion-resistance. That is a powerful advantage, as the technology sometimes becomes the only choice or one of very few, in regards to particular products needing to be manufactured.
What are the Industries in need of DED Additive Manufacturing Technology?
If it is such a popular technology today, it is because DED additive manufacturing has applications in many industries. It includes aerospace, automation, energy, and tooling. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, as it is also used to produce complex structural components, to repair turbine blades, to create custom molds, etc. There is not many metallic items that it can’t actually produce or repair as well. It does the latter by adding material onto worn or damaged parts, to restore their functionality and extend their lifespan.
We could not end this article without mentioning that it enables a greater design freedom for those who create metal objects. It also serves in case when the material needs to show some flexibility. In other words, this technology will continue to help manufacturing better and more complex objects for a long time to come.
