Airbus, a global aircraft manufacturer with locations throughout the US, has stepped up its additive manufacturing (AM) potential with the recent installation of a Sciaky Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) 110 System. Sciakys EBAM process utilizes a fully articulated, electron beam gun to deposit metal via wire feedstock, layer by layer, until the part reaches near-net shape. From there, the part requires heat treatment and post-production machining.
The system can accommodate a wide variety of metals and refractory alloys, such as Inconel and stainless steels, titanium, tantalum, niobium and tungsten, with gross deposition rates ranging from 7-20 lbs. (3.18 to 9.07 kg) of metal per hour. Sciaky EBAM Systems use an Interlayer Real-time Imaging and Sensing System (IRISS) to sense and digitally self-adjust metal deposition, allowing for consistent part geometry, mechanical properties, microstructure and metal chemistry.