Nidec Machine Tool America has begun preparations for the installation of the LAMDA500 DED 3D printing system. The LAMDA500, a 5-axis CNC laser DED system, has a build envelope of 500mm X 500mm X 500mm.

According to Hirohisa Kuramoto, Global AM Marketing Director, “The LAMDA500 installation at our Wixom, MI, facility emphasizes our full commitment to the North American market. We will partner with customers to make samples and test parts as well as perform process development in Michigan.” Kuramoto indicated that testing will be offered starting in June of 2023.

Using a Nidec exclusive proprietary nozzle design with local shielding of the melt pool, the LAMDA series of DED 3D printers do not require an environmental chamber for inert gas. Rather, the nozzle, designed with the use of CFD, provides the largest available shielded area for DED printing of reactive materials such as titanium and aluminum. LAMDA observes the molten state of the metal with a camera and stores the images as traceability data for the printing process, while its unique high-speed image processing algorithm instantly feeds back changes in feature values to the laser oscillator and mechanical equipment to modify the laser irradiation energy, printing speed, etc. to stabilize printing quality.

Nidec first prototype high accuracy DED machine was produced in 2014, with large scale (2,000mm X 1,500 X 1,600mm) machine deliveries beginning in 2020.