reAM250: Research team presents open source metal 3D printer

A team of researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has published freely available building instructions for a metal-based 3D printer. The device, called reAM250, uses the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process and is intended to help research institutions and companies build their own systems without having to bear the high costs of commercial equipment. All the necessary documentation is available on GitHub, including design plans, schematics, software code and documentation.

The open approach allows users to select and customize components themselves. They have access to sensors and process control to carry out experiments with variable laser parameters, shielding gas atmospheres and layer structures. According to the developers at TUM, care was taken to provide a modular system that supports various process monitoring and control methods. This makes it possible to detect sources of error earlier and improve component quality without having to resort to costly, proprietary solutions.

The open nature of the reAM250 project enables institutions to share and further develop their research results directly. This can accelerate the transfer of knowledge in additive manufacturing, as less time and resources are spent on building basic infrastructures. Instead, researchers can focus more on specific issues, such as the optimization of process parameters or material properties. Companies could also benefit from this platform by conducting their own experiments without having to purchase expensive equipment.

Support comes from Autodesk and RAYLASE, among others. Autodesk provides an open software environment that can be used to control laser paths, process simulations and interfaces to components. RAYLASE supplies hardware such as scan controller cards and beam deflection units. This allows users to customize their own configuration. An open software framework such as the AMCF (Autodesk Machine Control Framework) integrated by Autodesk also allows coupling with different sensors, actuators and control elements. This creates a continuous data flow from the CAD model to the construction platform.

The developers rely on an AFX 1000 laser from nLight for the laser source, which offers various beam geometries. This helps to make the melt pool in the powder bed more uniform and reduce material defects. The entire architecture is designed so that standard components can be used. This reduces the development effort for future projects.