DED - Direct Energy Deposition
DED is an additive manufacturing process in which a focused energy source is used to melt materials and add them layerwise onto a workpiece. We mainly focus on the DED process which uses an electric arc (WAAM) or a laser (WLAM) as their energy source and are wire based. The main advantages of these processes are the speed, the large print volume and the low costs compared to conventional processes such as selective laser melting.
WAAM - Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing
WAAM is using the long-established welding technology MIG as a basis. Combined with an industrial robot this technology can produce parts out of various metals cost-effectively. Due to the coarse surface, this technique often requires post-processing. However, we can also handle this as an overall service provider.
WLAM - Wire Laser Additive Manufacturing
The WLAM process is very similar to the WAAM process. As already mentioned, the main difference is the energy source. With WLAM, the melting function is carried out by a laser. Compared to WAAM, the process allows for finer structures and a better surface. If functional surfaces are desired, such as certain surface qualities or fits, rework is also possible here.
FFF - Fused Filament Fabrication
FFF is the most common process of printing 3D parts out of plastic. A plastic filament is fed through a heated nozzle where the material melts and therefore can be applied to a build plate. This is done layerwise until the desired shape is reached. The exact position of the layers is calculated by a control system with several servo motors. The principle is similar to a standard printer with the difference that an additional degree of freedom for the height is available. We use this technology for our projects however only for large-scale parts that can not be made through conventional systems.