May 10 2017
Optomec, a leading global supplier of production grade additive manufacturing systems for 3D printed electronics (Aerosol Jet) and 3D printed metals (LENS) announced today that the company will showcase Industry first additive manufacturing solutions at the RAPID + TCT conference held May 8 – 11, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
Highlighting its exhibition, Optomec will unveil an industry first hybrid controlled atmosphere system based on Optomec industry proven LENS metal additive manufacturing technology. This new LENS system enables additive and subtractive processing of aluminum, titanium and other reactive metals all in one affordable machine tool platform.
In addition, Optomec will showcase a groundbreaking 3D Printed Sensor application that was developed working with its customer General Electric (GE). The production solution utilizes Optomec’s Aerosol Jet system to print passive strain sensors directly onto turbine blades used in an industrial gas turbine. The sensors are composed of a ceramic material that can withstand the very high operating temperatures seen in the hot section of the gas turbine. These sensors can detect deformations in the underlying metal that could ultimately result in an expensive and sometimes catastrophic failure. GE recently unveiled this proprietary 3D Printed Sensor technology at their Future of Work Showcase in Boston. The data from the sensors has a direct tie to GE’s Predix software platform, demonstrating the digital convergence between Additive Manufacturing and the Internet of Things. A video showing this Aerosol Jet printing process integrated into a robotic work-cell at GE will be available in the Optomec booth.
Also, Dr. Himanshu Sahasrabudhe, Optomec LENS Senior Applications engineer, will give a presentation titled “Powdered Metals – What to Expect When You Build Metal Additively” at 3:45 pm on Tuesday, May 9th. In his presentation, Dr. Sahasrabudhe will discuss different processes used to build parts additively from powdered metals, the types of materials available and properties to expect, and application areas where metal additive manufacturing is used in production today.
RAPID + TCT is an additive manufacturing event that showcases product innovations and offers collaborative learning opportunities to ultimately accelerate the adoption and advancement of the technology. The two industry leaders in 3D technology events, SME and Rapid News Publications Ltd., are combining their nearly 30 years of insights and experience to produce the annual RAPID + TCT event starting in 2017.