Engineering for additive manufacturing as a service
Additive Manufacturing provides the possibility to generate complex geometries that cannot be created by conventional methods. The technology of the layer-based structure offers the great advantage of producing lighter parts in better quality and, at the same time, at lower costs.
How will you be able to fully exploit the potential of the additive manufacturing technology? How do you obtain an optimally designed component that is produced to the additive manufacturing method? And how will you succeed in leaving the well-worn tracks of conventional design and turn toward a function-oriented way of designing?
Our experts will be pleased to assist you in finding answers to these questions.
Part identification and analysis of potential
What components are suitable for additive manufacturing? What is the cost/benefit ratio? What optimization measures or additional functions can be implemented or integrated in your components? Is it advisable to replace one-to-one a conventional component by a component to be additively manufactured? Let our experts assist you in finding answers to these questions based on their many years of experience.
Part design
Additive manufacturing requires a shift away from a production-oriented to a function-oriented way of thinking and designing. After all, it is the function of the component that finally determines its geometry after the design process.
For process-related reasons additive manufacturing is, like all production techniques, subject to certain design restrictions, which must be taken into consideration during the design process. So, we offer you function-optimized design solutions factoring in the restrictions involved in the additive manufacturing technology.
Part optimization
The design process is supported by several versatile analysis and optimization tools available to our experts. These tools help them, for example, examine the flow behavior of media in channels and adapt the component design accordingly. What’s more, a topology optimization also optimizes the geometry of a component in terms of the involved loads, and thus helps reduce the weight of the component.
Process simulation
To reduce the amount of wastage in the additive manufacturing process to a minimum, our experts use a software simulating the thermal buildup process. The simulation serves to identify critical areas even before production of the component has been started. This saves both time and money.
Practical applications
SIS Injector
The SIS injector is a component installed in electric arc furnaces. For melting steel and scrap a burner capacity of 300 kilowatts is provided. To this end, oxygen is accelerated via a Laval nozzle, mixed with fuel gas and ignited.
Additive Manufacturing Design
To reduce the number of parts and change the size of the SIS injector our engineers developed a new design. The AM design consists of just one monolithic part. Previously, the component was welded together from 18 individual parts. Using the additive manufacturing technology, it was possible to reduce the installation space required for the SIS injector by 50 percent. A flow-optimized channel routing and near-contour cooling are benefits thanks to the layer-based structure. Another advantage is that the individual media can be fed in an ideal way. During the buildup process to the laser-based powder bed fusion method, the geometry is self-supporting and does not require supporting structures within the component while production is going on.
PSM® roll cooling ring
The PSM® three-roll technology is a solution for finish-rolling in high-end bar production. The PSM® roll cooling ring is used to cool the rolls that, at temperatures of up to 1,000 °C, give the steel bars their final shape.
Additive Manufacturing Design
It is particularly in this application, that the additive manufacturing technology allows not only for combining the methods of conventional and additive manufacturing, but also for using two completely different materials. The AM design includes a welded steel ring and three additively manufactured spraying elements made of plastic. The welded ring is a stainless steel pipe and has three boreholes to receive the spraying elements which can be fitted to the tube by means of clamps.
Your contact
Dr.-Ing. Thomas Nerzak
SMS group GmbH
Research & Development / Additive Manufacturing
Ohlerkirchweg 66
41069 Mönchengladbach
Germany
Phone
: +49 2161 350 1752
Fax
: +49 2161 350 1863