Consortium Building Metal 3D Printer With Large-Scale Build Volume, Enhanced Productivity

AddUp is leading a “MASSIF” (Metal Additive System, Sustainable, Industrial, Eco-Friendly) collaborative project to develop a large-format metal additive manufacturing (AM) laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) printer with dimensions up to 1.5 × 1.5 × 2 m. The company says the printer will feature a 12 times larger build volume and a 300% productivity boost compared to current AddUp machines.

The printer is being developed in collaboration with Cailabs, CETIM, Dassault Systèmes, ISP Systems and Vistory. The project is designed to push the boundaries of scale for metal AM by boosting productivity, reducing costs and meeting evolving sustainability goals to offer unmatched capabilities for industrial applications. 

The MASSIF project is already underway, with the process of prototyping and initial production already in progress. The first LPBF machine developed around these concepts features a print volume of 750 × 750 × 1 m high. The collaborators plan to install the printer at CETIM’s Printing Bourges center, where it will undergo further validation.

The machine is based on AddUp’s FormUp 350, which is designed to be a reliable, precise platform for demanding industrial environments. Offering advanced throughput and accuracy, the FormUp 350 is used for serial production, including critical components such as medical implants as well as satellite and aerospace parts. 

The project has already been selected as the winner of the #France2030 “Robots and Intelligent Machines of Excellence” program. By 2030, the “Robots and Intelligent Machines of Excellence” program envisions a highly automated and intelligent industrial ecosystem, contributing to economic growth and sustainability.

“It was the association of the best experts, each in their field, that allowed us to launch the MASSIF project,” says Julien Marcilly, AddUp CEO. “This technological leadership in large-scale metal 3D printing will enable us to meet the challenges of energy transition and productivity for aeronautics, defense and space players, always in a co-design approach by AddUp with its clients.”

The machine offers a variety of advantages over traditional methods of manufacturing, such as enabling greater design flexibility, faster production times and an eco-friendlier approach. 

• Productivity: The MASSIF machine is set to increase productivity by 300%, which can drastically reduce part costs by 50-70%.
• Build Volume: With the capability to manufacture parts 12 times larger than current AddUp machines, the MASSIF machine pushes the boundaries of scale for metal AM.
• Minimized Waste: With less than 10% powder waste, this machine offers a more sustainable production process.
• Quality: The MASSIF machine ensures quality parts straight off the printer by utilizing AddUp’s proprietary technology to deliver best-in-class surface finishes that minimize or eliminate the need for costly and time-consuming postprocessing. Also, its robust in-process monitoring is designed to ensure that parts are printed correctly from the start, thereby reducing the need for expensive quality assurance testing afterward.
• Eco-Friendly: The MASSIF machine uses decarbonated energy, aligning with global sustainability goals.

Under AddUp’s leadership, the MASSIF consortium brings together the expertise of each partner to create a machine that is not only larger but also more productive, efficient and eco-friendly.

• AddUp, the consortium leader, is designing the machine and building a prototype that integrates the technological building blocks of the process and production quality monitoring solutions.
• Cailabs develops laser beam shaping solutions to increase printing speed and thus machine productivity.
• ISP Systems develops a dynamic beam shaping solution to improve laser beam focusing quality.
• Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExperience platform enables real data to be used to create virtual models that simulate products, processes and factory operations in the virtual twin experience, and develops a data enhancement solution aimed at the efficient manufacture of certified critical parts.
• Vistory is developing a solution that guarantees the confidentiality and integrity of manufacturing data, protecting the creator’s industrial property and ensuring the traceability of operations.
• CETIM is contributing to the technological development of the prototype by carrying out tests on its FormUp multilaser equipment, then integrating the final machine in its new Printing Bourges center, in order to validate the manufacturing parameters for different materials and produce the first demonstration parts for the various target markets.