Since 2009, when the main patent for portable 3D printers expired, 3D printing has exploded into an industry of its own. As a result, 3D printers are one of the defining products of our time.

I’m probably dating myself here, but do you remember the scene from Crocodile Dundee, where Paul Hogan’s character, a croc hunter who travels to New York City following the lure of a lovely lady, and is mugged at knifepoint? 

HP and Siemens expanded their strategic alliance to help customers transform their businesses with industrial additive manufacturing (AM). Siemens and HP will incorporate systems and software innovations including overall product lifecycle management (PLM), AM factory optimization, industrial 3D printing and data intelligence, manufacturing execution and performance analytics.

A Southeast Asian aerospace parts manufacturer purchased a dual-purpose electron-beam additive manufacturing (EBAM) and EB welding system. The machine, designed and manufactured by Sciaky Inc., will be customized with special controls to switch from 3D printing to welding.

This article will review those areas and the role of metal powders and industrial gases in several AM processes that involve laser metal fusion and laser metal deposition. It will also discuss how industrial gas technologies are helping to address the challenges ahead.

A customized oven that allows curing of 3-D metal printed objects was supplied by JPW Industrial Ovens & Furnaces, Trout Run, Pa.