Metal 3D printing -- digital green intelligent manufacturing technology
In recent years, the country has made great efforts to develop a circular economy and promote the economical and intensive use of resources. In July 2021, the National Development and Reform Commission issued the 14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Circular Economy, which includes five key projects, including the construction of a recycling system for waste materials in cities, and six key actions, including the high-quality development of the remanufacturing industry. It is of great significance to carry out scientific research and engineering application of remanufacturing to safeguard national resource security, help realize carbon peak and carbon neutrality, and promote the construction of ecological civilization. At present, remanufacturing has been widely used in steel, nuclear power, coal mine, automobile, aviation, mold and other fields.
The process of remanufacturing is to restore the original value of waste products by means of digital technology. This remanufacturing process can generally save more than 60% of energy, save more than 70% of materials and save more than 50% of costs, and the performance of some remanufactured products can even exceed that of prototype new products, which is not only economical, but also more convenient and efficient. Especially for the imported or discontinued products, remanufacturing is basically the only solution. The 3D printing and remanufacturing of metal is one of the most cutting-edge technologies.
China Baowu -- Smart Steel promotes the industrialization of 3D printing
China Baowu Iron and Steel Group Co., LTD. (hereinafter referred to as China Baowu) is a joint reorganization of the former Baosteel Group Co., LTD and Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) Company. Baowu Group bears the historic task of transformation and upgrading of China's steel industry, and smart steel is an important starting point to promote the supply-side structural reform of the steel industry. As early as 2006, Baosteel applied 3D printing to the steel industry, with projects to promote the further development of 3D printing in the industrial sector. In recent years, it has successfully "printed and remanufactured" a series of products such as mill arch, flat head cover, universal coupling shaft and foot roller, etc. It has participated in the formulation of a number of industry standards for laser additive remanufacturing.
LiM-S0402 laser near net forming LiM Laser equipment purchased by Academia Sinica of Baosteel
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LiM Laser near net forming equipment LiM-S0402
Give old parts a new lease of life
Connected to a laser 3D printing device, metal parts can be printed directly, not only giving old parts a "new lease of life," but also improving performance and extending life. This is not a science fiction movie, but a technological revolution in manufacturing that is happening all around us.
In 2020, Baosteel Central Research Institute purchased a laser near net forming equipment LiM-S0402 from Tianjin LiM Laser Technology Co., LTD. (referred to as LiM Laser). Dr. Wu Qiong from the Central Research Institute said: "At that time, I was planning a research project, aiming at the functional loss of some key equipment in the factory due to wear and cracking and other reasons during use, and wondering how to repair it so as to restore the original function and reduce the loss. In order to solve this problem, we did a series of research, compared surfacing, spraying, plasma repair and other technical means, and selected laser 3D printing solution, and purchased LiM-S0402 laser near clean forming equipment through tender."
"First of all, laser 3D printing is relatively controllable in terms of energy and shape; Secondly, laser 3D printing can choose a wide range of materials; Third, the operation and maintenance of laser 3D printing equipment is also more convenient. Laser 3D printing is in great demand for steel applications, and there is a lot of future research and development work to be done with this technology. We use it more in the lab for design and simulation, one is to explore materials, what materials to use for repair or reinforcement. Second, it is used to explore the process and accumulate reference process for mass production of physical repair. We are now using this device to form solutions to multiple field problems and to apply them to large-scale production."
The Central Research Institute of Baosteel used LiM-S0402 to repair parts
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High efficiency & low cost
3D printing is taking off in the steel industry
In the process of parts repair, the manufacturing cost of re-opening mold is high and there is no need for mass production, so 3D printing provides a new idea for product repair. Firstly, the 3D model of the part is established through mapping, then the printing path is designed through slicing processing, and stored as a file that can be directly read and used by the 3D printer. The file is loaded into the printer and 3D printing materials are loaded at the same time, the printing platform is debugging, printing parameters are set, and the additive processing process of the part is completed.
By using advanced metal 3D printing additive manufacturing equipment, the most appropriate processing technology can be selected according to the working conditions, material characteristics and production technical requirements of the processed workpiece, to improve the wear resistance, corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance and thermal corrosion performance of the metal surface, repair the service damage and manufacturing defects of the metal surface, and realize the reliable connection of refractory, refractory and deformable metal components.
The Central Research Institute of Baosteel uses LiM-S0402 to print parts
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Professional & sincere
Earn the trust of customers
LiM Laser has more than 200 employees, including more than 50 R&D team members, who are mainly from internationally renowned additive manufacturing equipment enterprises and many key universities in related fields. More than 50% of the team members have more than 10 years of product development and lean manufacturing management experience. The company has more than 70 core technology patents, national high and new technology and other honorary qualifications.
As recalled by Dr. Wu, "LiM Laser attaches great importance to our project. In the early stage of communication, the project leader communicated with us for several rounds, exchanging a lot of opinions on the metallurgical industry market of civil grade, 3D printing and remanufacturing technology and so on. From the installation and debugging of hardware to the operation demonstration of software, LiM Laser gave us professional and patient guidance. Through this process, our team deepened the recognition of this equipment, and was also moved by the sincere service attitude of LiM Laser, and both sides established a good foundation for cooperation.
Compared with traditional manufacturing methods, 3D printing technology is not restricted by traditional processes and manufacturing resources, greatly reducing the development cost, shortening the research and development cycle, and breaking through the restrictions of traditional manufacturing processes on complex shapes. It brings a revolutionary change in the concept of production and processing, and plays an important role in promoting the field of equipment remanufacturing. In the future, LiM Laser will also be committed to expanding the extension of laser 3D printing remanufacturing technology and promoting the wider application of 3D printing in the industrial field.
