Metal additive manufacturing

by ACNS

ACNS, driving sustainable innovation for its customers

Optimize material consumption

Reduce machining costs

Repair high-value tools and parts

ACNS is among the pioneering integrators in metal additive manufacturing (or 3D printing) using WAAM and WLAM methods. What are these processes? In both cases, molten metal filaments are deposited to repair or shape the part. These are sensitive processes requiring precise control of parameters (power, filament speed, travel speed, part temperature, etc.) to achieve good metallurgical properties and create the desired shape.

They are less widespread than the LPBF (Laser Powder Bed Fusion) process which uses powder bed fusion, but they avoid the disadvantages of powder in terms of health, raw material cost, frequent porosity and slowness.

WAAM (Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing), also called "wire arc," is a method based on known welding processes: MIG, CMT, TIG, or plasma. It achieves good quality and high deposition rates.

WLAM (Wire Laser Additive Manufacturing), or "laser-wire" in this innovative process, melts the wire using a laser whose shape has been optically modified to join the wire in a ring. The process is very stable and offers finer control. The result is improved in terms of deposition speed and metallurgical quality. It is also advantageous in repair applications because the energy input is concentrated and generally lower, thus limiting deformation of the part.

The initial investment is higher.