AddiTec，3D打印机OEM的创始合作伙伴和经销商Meltio, has partnered withAmorphology, a NASA spinoff specializing in advanced materials, to develop special 3D printed gearbox components.
The partners are working on using additive manufacturing to develop large steel strain wave gear flexsplines. Strain wave gears are a specific type of gearbox used in robotic arms and precision motion systems. They’re compact, feature zero backlash, and transmit their torque through a geared thin-walled cup called a flexspline.
当使用传统的制造技术时，Flexspline是推动应变波箱的制造成本的原因。这可以归因于诸如精确齿轮齿和柔性墙之类的功能，这使应变波齿轮是六度自由（6DOF）机器人臂成本的很大一部分。
“当你看看柔轮的加工,基于“增大化现实”技术e 6 to 8 inches in diameter, the large steel feedstock may be reduced to as little as 10% of its original volume,” said Dr. Glenn Garrett, CTO of Amorphology. “This is a detriment from both cost and sustainability standpoints, as energy and material are wasted to produce a part which is a shell of the original stock.”
Taking the 3D printing route instead
By opting for additive manufacturing instead, it becomes possible to 3D print these flexsplines at vastly reduced costs, streamlining the traditional manufacturing workflow and enabling the cost-effective use of high-performance steels.
Amorphology and AddiTec have already jointly developed a 6-inch diameter strain wave gear flexspline using 17-4 precipitation-hardened steel. The prototype was 3D printed and then CNC machined on aHaasCNC hybrid system running theMeleltio Engine，一种模块化的定向能量沉积（DED）打印头.
As well as cutting material usage and production costs, the approach also enables on-demand fabrication of a wide variety of flexspline sizes. This means users don’t have to keep every diameter in stock at all times, slashing warehousing and logistical costs.
Dr. Yash Bandari, Business Development Manager at AddiTec, said, “We are thrilled to work with Amorphology and offer solutions to fabricate their parts by dramatically reducing the need for expensive machining. We look forward to working together to drive innovation.”
Meltio’s Laser Metal Deposition technology
AddiTec attributes the success of the demonstrator part to the capabilities of Meltio’s Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) technology. The DED process is compatible with both wire and powder materials, and users laser beams to melt metal feedstock into weld beads. These beads are layered on top of each other to fabricate fully dense, near-net-shape metal parts like the flexspline. The Meltio Engine laser head can be retrofitted to a wide variety of control systems, including CNC machines, robots, and gantry systems.
Brian Matthews, CEO of AddiTec, adds, “The ability to integrate with a CNC machine makes it a hybrid system. Hybrid manufacturing is a ‘one-stop solution’ for seamless metal component production – it combines both additive and subtractive operations on one common platform, thereby reducing the overall cost and time for fabricating components.”
非法学和Additec表示，计划将其合作伙伴关系推向多物质和功能分级的材料弹性，这是不可能使用常规制造技术生产的。
The applications of DED 3D printing stretch far and wide. Just recently, an additive manufacturing consortium including空中客车,Safran Landing Systems, and theNational Manufacturing Institute Scotland(NMIS) started working on anew hybrid DED 3D printing process for the aerospace sector. The technology will be used to 3D print critical aerospace parts such as those that make up an aircraft’s landing gear, as well as in MRO applications.
Elsewhere,MX3D, a developer of metal wire arc-based DED technology, recently unveiled itspartly 3D printed ‘WAAM Clamp’. The hybrid industrial part is an example of a pipeline clamp, a component used to seal high-pressure leaks in the chemical and oil and gas sectors. It’s an integral part of pipeline repair, and also serve to improve the service life of an installation before maintenance is required.
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Featured image shows a 3D printed strain wave gear flexspline. Photo via AddiTec.
