LASER World Of Photonics 2013 Showcases Additive Manufacturing 'Generative Processes'

The world’s largest photonics trade fair, LASER World of Photonics, will showcase a revolutionary technique known as laser-based additive manufacturing. A step beyond conventional stereo-lithography, laser-based additive manufacturing utilizes Selective Laser Melting (SLM) to melt metal, ceramic or plastic powder onto the part in layers. Dr. Wilhelm Meiners from the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) explains: “The main advantage of SLM compared to other generative processes is the use of metal materials such as AlSi10Mg, a typical casting alloy, or TiAl6V4, a typical implant material.” As a result of the melting process, the work piece has nearly 100% of the density and, thus, the same strength as the original material – which is not the case when the material beads are “baked” together in sintering. According to Meiners, “as a result, the mechanical properties of SLM components are in the same range as the material specifications.” And Laser metal deposition can be used for repairs.

Complexity for free
Until now, there has been one irrefutable industry rule: The more complex the product and the smaller the batch size, the more expensive it is to produce. However, laser-based additive manufacturing can invalidate this rule. Systems create a product directly from CAD data using laser light, eliminating the time and cost necessary to produce conventional tools and dies required to fabricate the product. Further, a component’s production cost now only depends on how much material is required. The process efficiency has implications that extend far beyond mere production, and it is giving rise to completely new photonics process chains. “Complexity for free” or “individuality for free” have become the latest catchphrases for the new process.

ILT expert Meiners continues: “Generative manufacturing makes it possible to produce geometries of almost unlimited complexity, including those with internal structures. This makes it possible to design and optimize components for specific functions without having to worry about the restrictions associated with conventional manufacturing techniques.”

As part of the application panels, Dr. Meiners and Maximilian Meixlsperger from the BMW Group will chair a session that features user presentations on this topic. The panels are part of the World of Photonics Congress, which is held at the neighboring International Congress Center München (ICM) concurrent with the fair. Both the LASER World of PHOTONICS 2013 trade fair and World of Photonics Congress are celebrating their 40-year anniversary this year.

Advancing medical and dental technology
Dental technology is beginning to integrate SLM where it is used to produce the metal framework for crowns and bridges. Doing so can reduce production costs by a good 50 percent and speed the fabrication time; crown and bridge production can be completely automated and carried out overnight. The final veneering is the only thing that still has to be done manually. Generative processes are also giving rise to advances in medical engineering, where they are making it easier to produce customized implants for any patient or drilling templates that can be individually adjusted for each bone operation.

Enormous savings in time and materials in production
SLM can save material, time and cost in the manufacture of blade-integrated disks for turbine airplane engines, or BLISKs. Instead of fastening individual turbine blades to the hub, the entire turbine fan can be produced as a single piece. Using conventional techniques to mill the contours from the block of material takes a great deal of time and generates a great deal of material waste. Fraunhofer ILT has used laser deposition welding to manufacture BLISKs, using 60% less material and one-third less time.

Considerable benefits for the aviation and automotive industries
The aviation and automotive industries can utilize the advantages of almost unlimited geometric freedom to design more environmentally friendly products. Parts can be design optimized for low weight with less regard for manufacturability. The potential weight savings is 60 percent. In the automotive industry, the weight of a topology-optimized wheel bearing was reduced by 40 percent. These two industries in particular can profit from cost-effective production of small batch sizes using additive techniques. Naturally, aircraft are not produced in large batches. And in the automotive industry, customers are looking for greater individuality. Manufacturers can give it to them by cost-effectively producing small series of individual optional equipment.

Replacement parts “on demand” instead of warehousing
Finally, these new laser techniques are changing the repair industry. Parts like the BLISKs mentioned above can be affordably repaired using laser deposition welding. Parts could be made-to-order based the CAD data, eliminating replacement part inventories and spare parts production logistics.

The size range for additive laser products is growing. Systems can now fabricate devices larger than 20 inches, according to Harald Krauss from the Institute for Machine Tools and Industrial Management at TU Munich (iwb). Also, SLM has been used to make components less than 30 micrometers in size, according to Matthias Gieseke from Laser Center Hannover (LZH). In that case, the components were micro-implants for specific patients. They are also working on lowering unit costs by using less expensive laser-beam sources and faster systems.

In the future, consumers will design products themselves
Completely new business models will also become possible: End consumers will be able to design some products themselves and then send the CAD data to a production service provider who will then produce the desired part as a one-off product or in a small series. Services of this type already exist for Smartphone covers. They call for special CAD programs that laymen can use intuitively. On the one hand, they are supposed to give the user as much freedom as possible, but on the other, they must take a number of restrictions into account to ensure that the designed products are stable and do not violate the trade-mark rights of other companies.

About LASER World of PHOTONICS
The LASER World of PHOTONICS trade fairs and their congresses are the most important marketplaces and think tanks for the worldwide laser and photonics industry and its users. They combine research and applications and promote the utilization and further development of optical technologies.

Messe München International has held LASER World of PHOTONICS every two years since 1973. The fair was the first event to focus on the sector for optical technologies in the world, and it celebrates its forty-year anniversary in May 2013.

The World of Photonics Congress, which is Europe’s largest photonics congress and is organized in cooperation with the world’s leading organizations in this field, is held at the same time as the fair. A spin-off event, LASER World of PHOTONICS China, is the leading regional trade show for optical technologies in China. It takes place in Shanghai every year in March. The new event LASER World of PHOTONICS INDIA takes place since 2012 and is a regional trade fair for optical technologies in India, now taking place in Mumbai every year.

With a total of 1,677 exhibitors and more than 64,000 visitors in Munich, Shanghai and Mumbai, Messe München International is the world’s leading trade show organizer for lasers and photonics.

The websites at www.world-of-photonics.net feature information on the photonics trade shows, industry information, product innovations, and application reports and are a virtual platform for optical technologies.

About the conference program at the World of Photonics Congress
The world’s leading scientific organizations in the field of photonics will organize conferences under the umbrella of the World of Photonics Congress from May 12 – 16, 2013:

• “CLEO/Europe-EQEC”, organized by the European Physical Society (EPS), sponsored by the EPS Quantum Electronics and Optics Division, OSA, IEEE/LEOS
• “Optofluidics”, “Manufacturing of Optical Components” and “Advanced Optomechanical “Engineering, organized by the European Optical Society (EOS)
• “LiM - Lasers in Manufacturing”, organized by the Scientific Laser Society (WLT); 
• “ECBO - European Conference on Biomedical Optics“, organized by the Optical Society of America (OSA) and the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE)
• Optical Metrology, organized by SPIE Europe

The conference program is rounded out by application panels featuring practical lectures about laser and photonics applications organized by Messe München. Additional information: www.photonics-congress.com

Messe München International
Messe München International is one of the world´s leading trade show companies. In Munich alone it organizes around 40 trade shows for capital and consumer goods, and key high tech industries. Each year more than 30,000 exhibitors and around two million visitors take part in the events held at Messe München exhibition center, the ICM – International Congress Center München, and in the MOC Veranstaltungscenter München. The leading international trade fairs of Messe München International are all FKM-certified, i.e. exhibitor and visitor numbers and the figures for exhibition space are collected in line with agreed standards and independently audited on behalf of the FKM (Gesellschaft zur Freiwilligen Kontrolle von Messe- und Ausstellungszahlen), a society for the voluntary monitoring of fair and exhibition statistics.

In addition, Messe München International organizes trade shows in Asia, Russia, the Middle East, South America and South Africa. With eleven affiliates abroad – in Europe and in Asia – and over 60 foreign representatives actively serving over 90 countries, Messe München International has a worldwide business network. The Group also takes a pioneering role as regards sustainability: It is the first trade-fair company to be awarded energy-efficiency certification from the technical inspection authorities TÜV SÜD.

Photos from the 2011 fair are available at 
http://media.messe-muenchen.de/Laser/Standard_e/SelectCatalog_Presse.jsp