Arcam AB fka AMAVF

[Tom Joad]

Arcam research.

Some assertions about electron beam additive manufacturing need clarifying so we all know the advantages and disadvantages for EBM and laser AM.

It's been said before that EBM is the only technology that has shown promise for site specific manipulation of metal grain structure. That's true, but grain growth direction can be manipulated with laser which means, I suppose, that laser can't manipulate grain structure on as small a scale as EB.

"Within the context of AM, Dinda et al.5 were the first to report on the ability to steer the growth direction of grains through changing the direction of the laser heat source. Later, Dehoff et al.6 demonstrated the premise of texture control within AM materials in a site-specific manner in the electron beam melting (EBM) process, through manipulation of the thermal conditions within the melt pool in the different regions, although not in a perfect manner. Recently, Helmer et al.7,8 have shown the ability to influence the grain structure in the EBM process for Inconel 718 through changing the parameters associated with the standard raster scan strategy utilized by the process."

Strategy for Texture Management in Metals Additive Manufacturing

There's also discussion about producing anisotropic verses isotropic areas in a build.