MPEI: Electron beam complex for additive 3D printing from metals and alloys

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2024: Development of electron beam complex for additive 3D printing from metals and alloys

NRU MPEI has developed an electron beam complex for additive 3D printing from metals and alloys of complex shape and chemical composition. The institute announced this on June 27, 2024.

source = MPEI NRT

The main component of the complex is the electron beam gun, which involves a number of electrical systems. Essence of technological process consists in heating of processed material by means of focused flow of electrons with high specific power.

One of the main advantages of electron beam additive technology is the ability to minimize heat deposition into the processed material due to the high power density of the electron beam. This advantage practically eliminates the possibility of oxidation of active metals and alloys due to the implementation of the process in a vacuum chamber.

The team of our university has developed a new electron beam gun for additive 3D printing. The peculiarity of the development consists in the possibility of synthesizing the material of the required chemical composition and continuous control of the chemical composition in various parts of the grown product, which opens up fundamentally new opportunities for, Russian mechanical engineering- commented the rector of the National Research University "MPEI." Nikolay Rogalev

MPEI scientists have developed all the components of the welding gun. A specialized electron beam gun of lower power was designed, an embedded feed module was developed, which is capable of simultaneously supplying several wires from various materials. During the tests of the prototype electron beam complex, the researchers managed to synthesize a nickel-titanium alloy with a shape memory effect.

By optimizing the parameters of the module for generating an electron beam for the purpose of additive printing, it was possible to reduce the mass and dimensions of the electron beam gun, which ensured a decrease in its cost. Together, the achieved results provide a significant increase in the manufacturability of the obtained products and reduce the cost of the most expensive component of the new complex - the electron beam gun.

The electron beam complex was developed by employees of the Department of Metal Technology of the National Research University "MPEI" under the leadership of the head of the department Aleksei Goncharov.