Arcam AB fka AMAVF

[Tom Joad]

re: protecting Arcam patents

If this news were about Taiwan instead of Japan, I would be much more concerned. Taiwan is not a Patent Cooperation Treaty member. Anyone out there familiar with patent law?

Messing around, looking at things side by side-

Arcam Q20 plus, the one for production of aerospace components, specs

Maximum electron beam power: 3 kw
Build chamber: 2400 x 1300 x 2945mm (W x D x H)
Maximum build size: 350 x 380 mm (Ø/H)

Arcam brochure

Japan's EB R&D machine

Maximum electron beam power: 6 kw
Build size: 300 mm x 300 mm x 600 mm
Build speed: 215 cc/hr as of March 21, 2016

Current Status and Outlook of Japan's AM

It doesn't seem to me that electron beam power would be too much of a trick to increase so I'm guessing that Arcam's 3 kw beam comes from design parameters. The minimum beam diameter is 140 µm. Question? Can they have maximum beam power at minimum beam diameter? I'm asking because beam power density might be a better way of looking at power.

AP&C's Ti6Al4V grade 5 powder has particles between 45 µm and 100 µm. So their beam is melting a few particles at a time at minimum diameter, but their beam can be redirected almost instantaneously, so melt pool size can be larger than the minimum beam diameter, and the number of melt pools can be more than one.

What a micron means, 10^(-6) meter. Below, a 6 µm diameter carbon filament, compared to 50 µm diameter human hair.

What a micron means