Fraunhofer ILT – A Reliable Partner for Research and Development in Your Branch

In 3D printing using bath-based photopolymerization (stereolithography and DLP), manual steps are a significant cost driver in the manufacturing chain. The complex preparation of data and the individual post-processing of the components require qualified staff and cause interruptions in the production chain.

To transfer the high resolution and surface qualities to a fully automated process, the technology was fundamentally modified. Fraunhofer ILT's TwoCure® process allows classic support structures to be replaced by a novel, thermally controlled process control and tailored materials. In this process, non-polymerized photo resin is thermally solidified within the printing layer, while the following layer remains protected. This enables a significant increase in volume efficiency, as more components can be produced in the same amount of time. Since the printed block is ejected automatically, the component can be post-processed without any manual steps at all. Currently, the first production-ready machine with a build volume of 190 x 110 x 100 mm³ is being developed, which can manufacture components fully automatically up to the melting and recycling of the material.

With the TwoCure® process, users in the field of additive manufacturing can produce small batches or large quantities of individual products in a single step. A demonstration was carried out in the field of otoplastics; other fields of application include lost forms (e.g. jewelry), technical products and dental applications.

To protect large components against wear and corrosion, metallic coatings are commonly used, e.g. for components in the oil and gas industry or rollers in the chemical and paper industries. Existing processes are slow and clearly harmful to the environment due to the use of chromium (VI); moreover, the applied layers, in the millimeter range, are too thick. Scientists at Fraunhofer ILT and RWTH Aachen University are researching the so-called EHLA process (extreme high-speed laser material deposition), with which thin metal coatings can be applied by lasers economically, environmentally friendly and extremely fast.

In the collaborative project EVEREST, Fraunhofer ILT – along with three industrial partners – has developed process and system technology to efficiently repair and coat components and tested it on rollers. Now after successfully completing the project, the Aachen researchers want to establish the newly developed process chain in the industry. The goal is to coat long and large rollers and other rotating components with the EHLA process in a near-net-shape, both reliably and extremely efficiently.