Metal 3D printing machine manufacturer, Optomec has announced that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) has ordered one of its new LENS 3D Metal Hybrid Controlled Atmosphere Systems.
The controlled atmosphere hybrid 3D metal printer was launched at IMTS earlier this year as part of the new LENS Machine Tool Series which combines a high-quality CNC vertical mill from Fryer Machine Systems with Optomec LENS Print Engine technology to enable low-cost, high-value metal additive and subtractive manufacturing.
“This is the first Powder Fed Directed Energy Deposition system that is both hybrid and has a controlled atmosphere chamber, which is exactly what we need to maximise our industry research and enable us to work with reactive materials. As an early adopter of this unique new system, we gain 3D printing capabilities matched nowhere else in the world,” said Michael P. Sealy, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering at University of Nebraska. “We’ve invested in establishing leadership in hybrid manufacturing research and are pleased to partner with Optomec to further this position. This printer will be a core tool for our College of Engineering and will enable us to tap the full potential of our industry-driven research.”
The university intends to use the system to advance research in key areas such as heavy machinery, medical devices, and aeronautics. UNL needed a machine that could perform both additive and subtractive processes, but also operate in an enclosed environment so that oxygen can be purged from the system to allow for the printing of metals such as titanium and aluminium. The LENS 3D Metal Hybrid Controlled Atmosphere System is the first commercially available machine of its kind to provide hybrid-manufacturing capabilities for reactive metals and aluminium.
