PRODUCT REVIEWS
Pressing and punching
Schaal Technology designs machines and systems for innovative forming and stamping solutions to implement new production processes , and to optimise and automate existing processes and make them more sustainable . It offers systems from automatic pressing and punching machines and production lines up to optimised special solutions .
“ The point of departure for a system is always the product to be manufactured , or the required tool . Together with the customer , we use this as a basis for the design of the entire production system ,” explained Schaal Technology .
Its system solutions for pressing and stamping are designed to ensure flexible , efficient and economical production . Applications focus on markets involving mobility , the electrical industry and medical technology . For example , highly efficient caps for insulin and vaccine ampules are produced on systems from the SEP series .
As long as 20 years ago , Schaal Technology developed a production solution for fully automated production of stamped radiator fins .
“ Elaborate fins can be formed by a multi-track stamping process . Thanks to specialised tooling technology , the radiator fins are produced with a form which has been optimised for ideal thermal conductivity . These systems still meet the strict demands of today ’ s mobility sector and will continue to do so in the future because stamped radiator fins are highly rated in terms of efficiency . The flexibility of the stamping system offers a clear advantage where the production of various fins is concerned ,” it told ISMR . n
www . schaal-technology . com
eBeam Metal additive technology
Wayland Additive showcased its Calibur3 technology at the last Formnext exhibition in Frankfurt , Germany ( 16-19 November 2021 ). The company ’ s metal additive manufacturing ( AM ) technology — driven by the NeuBeam process — is designed to overcome many of the pitfalls associated with traditional eBeam and laser powder bed fusion ( PBF ) metal AM processes .
Will Richardson , CEO , Wayland , commented : “ Formnext was a great event for us . It was encouraging to see that , despite recent COVID-related issues , industry and innovation have not stood still . One big and obvious trend is the resurgence of eBeam technologies , with many recently introduced technologies shown for the first time in Frankfurt .”
The manufacturer has evolved the eBeam process to overcome significant issues “ that hold back the adoption of legacy and alternative eBeam technologies .” Its NeuBeam process has been designed to overcome the lack of stability , both in terms of the machines and their output , which has traditionally been a drawback for eBeam technologies . This is a consequence of process issues and the constraints of existing machine capabilities . Competing metal AM processes , most notably L-PBF , also bring production challenges .
Ian Laidler , CTO at Wayland , added : “ The strategy of relying on bespoke materials for targeted applications may further add to the cost of AM . Powder producers need to be able to produce large volumes to reduce costs , rather than providing a wide range of specialist alloys . With the eBeam process , the problem of powder charging — the alliance between the machine and the material — means that process stability and breadth are immediately and severely compromised .
“ The most fundamental issue with eBeam AM technology has always been the unstable nature of the processes and we have categorically resolved this . The fully neutralised NeuBeam process is a hot part process rather than a hot powder bed process like traditional eBeam processes .
Therefore , Calibur3 can efficiently produce parts that are free of residual stresses because the high temperatures are only applied to the part and not the whole powder bed , ensuring free-flowing powder post-build ( no sinter cake ) and stress-free parts with reduced energy consumption . This makes the process considerably more flexible in terms of part geometries and cost-efficient because heat treatments and other post-processing steps are dramatically reduced . NeuBeam is also material-agnostic and is therefore able to process a much wider palette of metal materials than alternative eBeam processes , including refractory metals .”
NeuBeam also offers built-in , realtime in-process monitoring , allowing for rapid material development or tuning of microstructures by adapting the solidification during manufacture . The process temperature is not constrained by sintering the powder bed , allowing it to be optimised to the material microstructure and / or the application .
Everything in the build chamber can be monitored , and it is possible to see the true temperature of the whole powder bed inprocess as a build takes place . The thermal history of the material being processed can also be seen , as can the topography of the surface so that defects can be detected — and reported — as they occur . n
www . waylandadditive . com
62 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR March 2022