3D metal printing is already a multi-billion dollar global industry. The additive manufacturing approach is expected to disrupt many aspects of construction, and will continue to grow for the foreseeable future. However, the technology is not homogeneous. As with plastic printing, there are several different methods, each with their pros and cons.
a new style Announced this week, a team at MIT prioritizes print speeds and volume (object size) over resolution. As described, the system is capable of printing large aluminum parts “at least 10 times faster than a comparable metal additive manufacturing process.”
Liquid metal printing (LMP) uses a layer of 100-micron diameter glass beads to create a structure into which molten aluminum is deposited – a process not all that different from injection molding. The beads are able to withstand extreme temperature, while allowing the heat to dissipate quickly as the metal hardens.
Since aluminum is classified as an “infinitely recyclable” material, the team behind this work envisions pairing this system with a machine that melts the metal into molten form. Such a combination could be of great value to construction sites, providing faster speeds and bigger objects at a lower cost.
However, there is at least one big caveat: the solution. As shown in the images, the final product does not offer close to the accuracy of some other methods. The resulting metal objects are bumpy and uneven, resembling a fused deposit modeling (FDM) product, which extrudes plastic layer by layer. Aluminum can of course be polished, although it would likely be additional time and money that most people wouldn’t want to put into the process.
“Liquid metal printing goes above and beyond in terms of being able to produce metal parts with custom geometries while maintaining the fast turnaround that you don’t typically get with other printing or molding techniques,” says Jay Buchbinder of furniture company Emeco. Study financing. “There is definitely potential for this technology to revolutionize the way metal printing and metal forming are currently handled.”