Additive Manufacturing (AM) regroups all the manufacturing processes based on the joining of materials. At first, Additive Manufacturing was used in the context of Rapid Prototyping in laboratories and industry for the testing and development of products via prototyping. Over the last few years, the Additive Manufacturing industry has undergone substantial growth and is evolving into Rapid Manufacturing, i.e. the direct manufacturing of parts.
# So what is the Atelier Laser du Futur in a nutshell?
The objective of the ALAFU project is to provide turnkey plants that are entirely dedicated to the industrialisation of Additive Manufacturing; via the management of powder cycles, process automation, the safety of operators, workshop cleanliness, and guarantee of a constant quality of the parts produced. The Atelier Laser du Futur aims to address the needs of metallic additive manufacturing and powder bed technologies such as Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Electron Beam Melting (EBM).
The project aims to automate the entire production line so as to enhance the manufacturing process as well as the monitoring of raw materials and produced parts. This aspect is also crucial in order to ascertain hygienic and safe working conditions for operators. Powder treatment is one of the fundamental aspects of this project and encompasses the reception of powders, their characterisation, the transfer in precise quantities to the machines and then recycling after manufacturing. To meet needs in terms of cost reduction and part quality, the management of powder cycles integrates recycling to reduce the loss of raw materials and the characterisation of recycled powder to ensure it meets the manufacturing equipment’s input requirements.
# Actemium’s strategy in the face of these new developments.
Actemium aims to support its customers with the development of Additive Manufacturing plants and is thus currently developing the ALAFU project – Atelier LAser du FUtur – which meets these new needs in terms of production on an industrial scale. Discover Actemium’s Additive Manufacturing ALAFU project
# The know-how of the Actemium network applied to the ALAFU project.
To bring the ALAFU project to fruition, a team of five companies from the Actemium network of experts has been set up: the Tech’ Team. Each company shares its specific experience and know-how regarding the Additive Manufacturing industrialisation transition process. This revolution is created via innovation, the development of new technologies, on new markets.