Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Lincoln Electric are collaborating on large-scale, robotic additive manufacturing technology, the organizations said in May at the Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing InnovationXLab Summit.
The new agreement builds upon ORNL and Lincoln Electric's previous developments by extending additive technology to new materials, leveraging data analytics and enabling rapid manufacture of metal components in excess of 100 pounds per hour.
These developments will focus on increasing throughput while lowering costs and improving the quality of large-scale additively manufactured metallic structures essential for multiple industrial applications, they said.
“Working with Lincoln Electric is an important step in advancing manufacturing in the US,” said Moe Khaleel, ORNL’s associate laboratory director for energy and environmental science. “Approximately 60% to 80% of molds for the manufacturing of metallic components are produced overseas. With this new collaboration, US manufacturers will be able to showcase their ability to manufacture tools, dies and molds additively with reduced costs and lead times while maintaining speed and a quality build.”
The manufacturing demonstration facility at ORNL is supported by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, which supports early-stage research to advance innovation in US manufacturing, and promote American economic growth and energy security.
“We have successfully partnered with the manufacturing demonstration team at ORNL over the last three years to develop industry-leading metal additive technologies,” said Tom Matthews, Lincoln Electric’s senior vice president for technology, and R&D. “Together, we will continue to advance the technical boundaries of additive manufacturing as Lincoln Electric commercializes this innovative manufacturing capability, which will benefit a broad array of manufacturing sectors.”
For more information, visit lincolnelectric.com and science.energy.gov.