Metal 3D Printer Commissioning

Project Description

---

Our project is the commissioning, testing, initial operation, and training development of a Concept Laser Mlab Cusing R metal 3D printer. This printer was donated by Honeywell to NAU’s ME department and is currently stationed in NAU’s IDEA Lab in the engineering building. The goal is to have the printer fully functioning by the end of the 2024-2025 school year and ready to be integrated into the ME286L manufacturing lab curriculum as well as have it open for work orders from the IDEA Lab.

Background

---

The printer uses laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology which fuses powdered metal together to form a part. This powder is often reactive with oxygen and requires an inert environment which we provide with argon gas. Unlike fused filament fabrication (FFF), the most common 3D printing technology, which extrudes thermoplastics from a nozzle to create a shape, LPBF uses a laser to melt extremely thin layers of powdered metal onto the previous layer. The first layer is spread across the metal powder bed with a blade, the laser melts it into the cross section of the part at that layer, the next layer is spread and melted, and that process repeats until the print is complete. The resulting print is surrounded and filled with loose metal powder which must be carefully removed before the part can be handled without safety equipment.