E-Archive

Articles

in Vol. 20 - November Issue - Year 2019
Rollwasch® Partner of ATC
ATC - Additive Technology Center

ATC - Additive Technology Center

Lasertec 65 3D

Lasertec 65 3D

Lasertec 30 SLM

Lasertec 30 SLM

Lasertec 65 3D

Lasertec 65 3D

The Grand Opening of September 27th, 2019

The Grand Opening of September 27th, 2019

The Vibroblast Program

The Vibroblast Program

The Vibroblast Program

The Vibroblast Program

The Microfluid Program

The Microfluid Program

Wifi Technology

Wifi Technology

Microfluid technology

Microfluid technology

First of all, let's present the ATC - Additive Technology Center - An incubator of technology dedicated to the Additive Manufacturing founded in Italy in the modern building of GFM S.p.A., located in Nembro (BG), near to the Bergamo Airport - Italy.
ATC - Additive Technology Center is founded by the association of three partners, respectively being:
DMG MORI Italia S.r.l. - Via G. Donizetti, 138 - IT-24030 Brembate di Sopra (BG), Italy;
GFM S.p.A. - Via Tobia Ferrari, 10 - Nembro - BG (Area Crespi), Italy; and
ITEMA S.p.A. - via Cav. Gianni Radici - 24020 Colzate, Italy
ATC - Additive Technology Center is a concentration of technology and cutting-edge designs capable of stimulating an entire territory with its advanced economy, and comprises:
*An international level center where experimentation of the most innovative technologies and machines in terms of additive manufacturing is performed, and concrete applications for the industry are verified.
*A hub of experimentation and application at the service of the manufacturing industry where new paths of knowledge and training and explored.
*A single incubator of ideas and companies for the growth of the mechanical sector with a view to experimentation, prototyping, training, process development and innovation.

Not Only Additive

The use of hybrid technology represents the most innovative component of the ATC offer, since it combines peculiarities and advantages both of traditional mechanical workings, such as high precision and surface finishing ability, and of additive processes, such as the possibility of creating very complex geometries.
Therefore, ATC stands as the first experimental center in Italy with an industrial vocation equipped with hybrid technology, which makes it possible to obtain mechanical components with different materials and complex geometries, and finding its natural application in the world of high value-added component repair.

Endless Possibilities Of  Development

The ATC technology center combines various additive technologies in the metal sector, providing services on both direct deposition (DED) and powder bed (SLM) technologies.
Thanks to these technologies and their combination with traditional processes, ATC is able to offer a wide freedom of development to meet the needs of engineering both in terms of materials and processes, reducing the realization times and therefore also the costs.

Equipment

The center is equipped with 2 SLM plants, and a DED plant.
In particular, 2 second-generation Lasertec SLM 30s and 1 Lasertec 65 3D Hybrid for direct deposition technology (DED) were installed. The latter is also able to operate traditional subtractive processes, offering a wide range of hybrid applications.

Lasertec 30 SLM 2nd GEN

The second-generation Lasertec 30 SLM uses the technology of selective laser melting in a powder bed and is particularly suitable for complex components that place emphasis on weight reduction, functional optimization and customization. Therefore, it is possible to produce filigree structures in various materials, such as stainless steel, titanium, aluminum and steel.
Materials used: AISI316L and Inconel 718, while HastelloyX, Aluminum and Titanium are under development
Additional materials that can be used: 17-7PH, Maraging M300 (1.2709), CoCr, and generally all superalloys of Nickel and Titanium present on the market.

Lasertec 65 3D Hybrid

The Lasertec 65 3D Hybrid, in addition to allowing the deposition of powder on machined parts, bringing material back, allows the reworking of the pieces to obtain the geometric tolerances and the surface finishes typical of a machined piece. The machine operates with 5 continuous axes allowing the realization of complex pieces, but with production speeds up to 10 times faster than those of the SLM.
Materials used: AISI316L, Maraging M300 (1.2709), Hastelloy X, Stellite 6
Additional materials can be used to meet customer requirements, for example: tool steels, Tungsten Carbide, Nickel superalloys.

The Grand Opening of September 27th, 2019

The new headquarters of the ATC - Additive Technology Center in Nembro (BG) was inaugurated on 27th September - on this occasion the technological partners were introduced, such as Rollwasch Italiana S.p.A., which deals with the Post Processing / Finishing activities.
With almost 70 years of experience in the field of mass metal finishing and various other related techniques, Rollwasch® has dedicated the last 10 years of its Research and Development activity to the development of two lines of machinery and related processes for the Additive Manufacturing, respectively:

The VibroBLAST Program

VibroBLAST is the synergy between two techniques known as sandblasting and vibratory finishing, which interact in a new world of applications thanks to three patents combined in a single technology.
VibroBLAST solutions allow optimal levels of automation and finishing, especially for delicate components with cost and pollution containment.

The Microfluid Program

An innovative multi-tasking finishing process that can be achieved thanks to third-generation machines, able to combine the sum of several cycles normally conductible with different machines and finishing media / processes in a single work cycle. The result is a level of automation, rationalization and efficiency without equivalent, with great convenience and reliability.

Endless Possibilities Of Post-Treatments And Finishing

The two innovative technologies VibroBLAST and MICROFLUID, together or independently, represent an enormous potential for Additive Manufacturing post-processes and an infinite series of finishing solutions, in the name of eco-sustainability and circular economy.

VibroBLAST technology

Introduces innovative and mainly dry-finishing processes, where the high kinetic energy due to the action of sandblasting combines with the delicate parallel action of special elastic abrasive media (or QF media) that re-convey the blasting media on the surface of the pieces treated.
We therefore have a synergy between a process called vibro-blasting on the one hand, and a special vibratory finishing media, with extraordinary performances, low pollution and high durability, on the other.
Both the vibro-blasting process and the elastic media are protected by a patent application.
All this is combined with an additional patent that protects the idea of using media manufactured in Additive Manufacturing, by the same user, to conduct vibro-blasting processes that do not pollute the components with foreign materials. It will therefore be possible to configure the scenario of a vibro-blasting process of titanium components with titanium vibratory finishing media and titanium powder sandblasting media.
Also in the field of polymers, tests were carried out on components made with bio-materials, sandblasting them with PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone) of medical type (with a high degree of purity) and providing for vibratory finishing media, for example, of pyramidal shape, produced with the same PEEK.
Finally, the VibroBLAST solutions offer includes versions equipped with special suction devices which, by combining a controlled vibration with the adequate suction power, allow the recovery of additive powders (for example polymers) from a quantity of AM manufactured items placed in the tank of a specially configured vibro-sandblasting machine process.

Microfluid technology

It allows "multi-tasking" processes, that are articulated in several degrading phases - starting from energetic roughing actions, followed by deburring phases, then smoothing, then polishing and, with the appropriate media and in suitable conditions, even by a possible final drying phase.
All this happens with a single media called "vectorial media", without abrasive capacities that, in the process, is carried out by special gel compounds automatically dosed in the various phases of the cycle, by pumps governed by PLC with the latest generation software, manageable even in WIFI with the WIFInishing option.

Industry 4.0 – WIFInishing

Rollwasch® equipments and machines are designed to have multiple levels of implementation, starting from the full versions of PLC touch with programmable recipes, up to more sophisticated levels, with sensors and software able to meet the requirements of Industry 4.0 and finally, also with robust WIFI interfaces (WIFInishing Rollwasch protocol), which allow management of a series of machines or a complex system in parallel from the control desk of the plant Mainboard or, more conveniently, from a tablet or a PC Windows 10.

For Information:
Rollwasch® Italiana S.p.a.
Via San Carlo, 21
20847 Albiate (MB), Italia
Tel. +39.0362.930334
Fax +39.0362.931440
E-mail: info@rollwasch.it
www.rollwasch.it