DMT 3D metal printing
DMT (Laser-aided Direct Metal Tooling)
DMT 3D metal printing Technology belongs to most advanced generative manufacturing processes. This technology melts commercially available metal powders using high power laser and shapes complex metal structures with the aid of 3D CAD file. It is one of the latest 3D metal printing technologies and is classified according to ASTM standard in the category of "Directed Energy Deposition".
Compared to more famous `Powder Bed fusion´ Technology DMT 3D metal printing technology uses commercially available industrial-metal powder.
It is therefore very economical. The powder flows constantly and is completely melted through laser beam and rapid solidified again. The microscopic metal structure is thus 100% tight and not different from conventionally produced metal parts or has in some cases even better mechanical properties.
DMT technology allows technical solutions that were unthinkable with traditional method. Molds with complex internal structure fully equipped with sensors and cooling channels, metal parts with multiple layers of different metals, repair of complex surfaces, modification, transformation and special coating work are just some of many examples.
DMT 3D metal printing technology is already widely applied in electrical, automotive, medical, aerospace and defense industries. Molds with internal coolant supply, metal parts consisting of several layers of metal types, parts with complex geometries are already being used in hundreds in mass productions. Furthermore, artificial joints for surgery, components of aircraft engines are produced using DMT 3D metal printing technology.
Outline of the DMT Process
The basic principle of 3D metal printing technology is relatively simple. A 3D CAD file is transformed into a collection of 2D layers by slicing and built up mechanically layer by layer. DMT 3D metal printing technology builds the 2D layer with the aid of high-power laser and metal powder.
Laser beam forms a melt pool on the metal surface and in this pool a finely-aligned beam of metal powder is shot. The powder is completely melted and solidified again. The laser beam and the melt pool move in all four directions calculated from the 3D CAD file and thus form layer by layer the desired metal structure.
Crucial for high-precision 3D metal printing is the precise fine tuning of the 2D layer thickness. Our DMT technology uses the in house developed DMT closed-loop feedback control system which measures and monitors all layer thickness affecting parameters during the printing process. In our machines series of MX type we can select between 3 standard modules with 150, 250 and 450 microns layer thickness. According to customer`s need the layer thickness can be varied between 100 and 1000 microns.
Two build-up methods of the DMT® 3D metal printing technology
To have more flexibility in fabricating 3D metal products, InssTek has developed two different build-up methods, a "simple build-up method" and a "hybrid build-up method"
DMT® simple build-up method
A method fabricating a whole 3D metal structure using DMT technology out of nothing.
DMT® hybrid build-up
In order to reduce the printing time and cost for fabricating a 3D metal structure, no matter how big or complicated it is, the best way is to build-up only a complex working part using DMT technology on the surface of a simple structure already-made by conventional manufacturing methods such as machining, cutting, casting, etc.. It doesn’t matter whether the simple structure has 2D planar surface or 3D curved surfaces.
This hybrid build-up technic in the DMT 3D Printing process is attributed to perfect metallurgical bonding together with the simple metal structure, which can accomplish a perfect color matching between already-made structure and the built-up part using DMT technology, so that each part cannot be distinguished with bare eyes.