Direct Metal Deposition Facility
The POM DMD 505 is an innovative additive manufacturing facility that integrates CAD, CAM, lasers and powder metallurgy to provide a unique near net shape metal deposition process that can be used in a wide range of industrial applications.
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Swinburne's POM DMD505 Direct Metal Deposition System
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Swinburne team in front of the POM DMD505
This direct metal deposition (DMD) facility uses laser aided deposition of metal powder layer by layer through a multi-axis nozzle creating a melt pool on a substrate by a high power co-axial CO2 laser beam. The process allows the repair or fabrication of production parts with metallurgical bonds using a variety of feedstock metal powders from four powder feeders.
The main benefit of DMD is its ability to deposit successive layers of metal onto the surfaces of complex components with minimum heat transfer. DMD can also mix metals to create unique alloys that are not commercially available.
POM DMD 505 system features
- processing materials:
- tool steel (h13), stainless steel,
- titanium-based, ni-based, co-based alloys, cermet
- 5kw co2 laser, four powder feeders, closed loop control
- working envelop: 1500 x 600 x 450 mm
- layer thickness: 0.1 to 1.6 mm
- deposition build rate: 24 to 160 cm3 per hour
- deposition speed: 500 to 1800 mm/min
- laser beam diameter: 1 mm to 5 mm.
Main applications
- tool repair and reconfiguration: injection moulding, die casting, stamping, forging etc
- direct fabrication of tool inserts: injection moulding dies
- part repair: turbine blades repair, repair of parts for ageing aircraft
- fabricating tailored structures: lattice structures, medical implants
- designed materials: functionally graded materials, materials with designed properties, negative coefficient of thermal expansion, etc
- rapid tooling: bimetallic tooling, conformal cooling to reduce cycle time in injection moulding; thermal pins, chill vents in die casting
- surface enhancement: deposit wear resistant alloys onto tool surface to enhance tool life, forging, stamping tools.
Major research projects completed using the DMD facility
- bi-metallic tooling for high pressure die casting
- conformal cooling in plastic injection moulding
- functionally graded materials and wafer structures
- mechanical characterisation of high strength alloys
- coating from calcium phosphate and titanium alloy on austenitic steels
- multi-material plymetal structures produced
- honeycomb auxetic structures produced.
The $1.5million facility is located in the Advanced Technology Centre at Swinburne’s Hawthorn campus. The facility was funded by the Victorian Government in partnership with the Victorian Centre for Advanced Materials Manufacturing (VCAMM) and an ARC infrastructure research grant.