Ben Jackson
3D printing the future of metal fabrication
Wednesday 24 May - 3:00 pm
Historically 3D printing has been restricted to polymer components and smaller scale high-value metal items. Developments in Wire Arc Additive Manufacture (WAAM) have made practical and cost effective the 3D printing of large metal parts (up to 250kg+). This process allows the design freedom and speed of 3D printing to be applied to a new scale of metal part production and refurbishment. NZ has unique challenges that make additive manufacturing metal parts particularly attractive – long lead times for spare parts, hight freight cost and low scrap value impacting machining, as well as labour cost and shortage. Applications will be discussed across the industrial, architectural, and artistic space demonstrate the appeal of large metal additive technology in solving these challenges. This will include reverse engineering 1-off and obsolete parts without tooling cost or lead time. Material performance, design considerations, process opportunities, along with future direction and impact of this technology will also be presented.
About the Presenter:
Ben has been involved in research and development of different metal additive manufacturing technologies for the past 8 years. He completed his PhD working with selective laser melting of modified Titanium alloys. He is one of the founders of TiDA spin out, Fabribotics, developing NZ’s first additive manufacturing system for large metal parts using Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing.