AMRC installs first MELD solid state metal additive manufacturing machine In Europe
The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) installed a MELD solid-state metal additive manufacturing machine, the first such system in the European continent. The AMRC selected MELD’s newest model system the L3. The L3 model offers 14.2 cubic feet or .4 cubic meters with a table size for printing new or fixturing repair parts that measure 51 inches by 23 inches (129.5 centimeters x 58.4 centimeters).
The University of Sheffield AMRC is a world-leading research and innovation institution with more than 120 industrial partners who include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, McLaren, BAE Systems and Airbus. The University of Sheffield is a part of the larger AMRC group, which is a cluster of world-class centers for industry-focused research and development of technologies used in high-value manufacturing sectors.
AMRC North West Technical Fellow Ian Brooks said: “Unlike traditional additive manufacturing, MELD is a solid-state process which means the negative aspects of processing with high temperatures are removed and there is a step-change in some of the limitations, such as scalability, residual stress and speed.”
Installation at the AMRC North West facility in Preston, UK and operator training for technical staff was provided by RAM Engineering and Tooling LTD, based in Scotland.
AMRC’s collaborative R&D teams de-risk innovation for the industry, enabling step-changes in productivity and performance, and leading manufacturing towards a smarter, more sustainable, and resilient future. The AMRC is part of the High-Value Manufacturing Catapult, the national network of leading manufacturing and process research centers, and is a model for collaborative research involving universities, government and industry worldwide. Headquartered on the Advanced Manufacturing Park and Sheffield Business Park in South Yorkshire, the AMRC is expanding across the North with dedicated applied research centers in North Wales and North West England bringing innovation to manufacturing.
