Installation of the EBM Machine

Additive manufacturing (AM) is currently receiving more and more interest in appearing as an alternative to conventional machining. Rather than removing matter, AM consists in building parts layer by layer from the selective melting of powders. Each layer is melted according to the exact geometry defined by a 3D CAD model. AM allows very complex geometries, without producing any waste materials. It is cost- and energy-efficient. Widely used in the case of polymers, AM begins to be of interest for metal parts.

Labex CEMAM focuses on materials specifically targeted by additive manufacturing. The material by design approach, which aims at tailoring new materials starting from a given set of requirements, leads to explore new degrees of freedom in shape and matter arrangement. The geometrical freedom offered by AM allows to design parts as we envision it.

Labex CEMAM, in collaboration with AIP (technological Platform of Grenoble INP) has chosen the unique  Electron Beam Melting (EBM) technology proposed by the Swedish group ARCAM. In the EBM process, fully dense metal parts are built up layer-by-layer of metal powder melted by a powerful electron beam. The EBM process is carried out in vacuum at elevated temperature resulting in residual stress free parts, controlled microstructure and excellent material properties comparable to wrought material. The currently used materials are mainly titanium alloys and CoCr alloys for medical (patient-specific implants, ...) or aerospace (light-weight design with complex geometries) applications.

CEMAM research works related to EBM aim at :

• exploring new architectures (such as light-weight designs using lattices or network structures);
• studying new materials eligible to the process;
• better understanding of the process, especially thanks our specific local skills (powder metallurgy, discrete element modelling of powder assemblies, 3D X-ray tomography characterization, numerical optimization ...);
• integrating the process constraints into design and conception rules (in coll. with AIP and GSCOP laboratory).