Engineers from the印度技术学院（IIT），乔德布尔（Jodhpur），基于定向能源沉积（DED）技术开发了自己的低成本金属3D打印系统。
该机器很特殊，因为它在很大程度上是本土开发的，这意味着除激光和库卡机器人臂是由印度IIT团队设计和制造的。该项目的主要目的是削减该国金属3D打印技术的成本，同时吸引更多用户并推动采用。
IIT Jodhpur的副教授Ravi K. R.博士解释说：“我们的研究结果表明，如果可以将制造金属印刷机制造所需的所有零件是本地制造的，则可以将两台金属3D打印机的成本降低到，三次。”
适用于航空航天、国防等engineering sectors, the homegrown 3D printer is designed primarily for laser cladding and maintenance and repair applications, adding material to existing metal components.
印度金属3D打印的成本
自1980年代首次亮相以来，增材制造业在全球范围内实现了令人难以置信的增长，但是由于成本过高，印度等新兴市场越来越慢地跳上潮流。除了3D打印机本身太昂贵外，从国外进口金属粉末也有助于持续的运营成本，而对于许多制造中小型企业来说，这太高了。
“Despite the fact that metal 3D printing technology started a few years after the launch of Polymer 3D printing, it is yet to experience the tremendous growth that the polymer 3D industry has achieved, especially in India,” adds Ravi. “The high price of the product and the more expensive proprietary metal powders imported from abroad are some of the reasons for the limited growth of metal 3D printers.”
IIT团队断言，负担得起的金属3D打印技术，尤其是在印度开发的技术，将在帮助国家与世界其他地区保持关键作用。
土著DED 3D打印机
The robotic arm-based IIT 3D printer operates on DED technology, a form of 3D printing that leverages a focused energy source to melt and fuse materials as they’re deposited out of a nozzle. This energy source can be an electron beam or a plasma arc, but this particular model utilizes the commonly-used laser beam.
据报道，该系统能够在印度生产的3D打印金属粉末，以该国的第一个可变斑点尺寸激光光学元件，可以保留激光束均匀性。
Additionally, the team has even developed a dedicated tool path planning software and coaxial nozzle for the 3D printer. They have also integrated in-situ monitoring processes that track the temperature of the melt pool and thickness of the printed clad at all times, enabling high-performance industrial applications to be realized.
Ravi said, “Such an initiative further strengthens the policy decisions of the Government of India under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.”
商业是活性金属3 d印刷空间e as ever with the latest system launches. Just this month, 3D printer manufacturervelo3dannounced the launch of its largest 3D printer to date, theSapphire XC 1MZ。激光粉床融合系统具有600mm（直径）x 1000mm的巨大构建体积，比原始蓝宝石大9倍，并且是蓝宝石XC的两倍。
别处，Cranfield University旋转waam3d最近，在公司的电线弧添加剂制造（WAAM）技术上推出了全新的大型3D打印机。命名RoboWAAM, the metal printer sports a huge build volume of 2 x 2 x 2m and is packed full of new sensing hardware to serve customers in aerospace, defense, energy, and more.
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Featured image shows the IIT Jodhpur researchers with their self-developed DED metal 3D printer. Photo via IIT Jodhpur.
