The Large Additive-Subtractive Integrated Modular Machine (LASIMM) project of the European Union has announced that the hybrid machine, which offers both metal additive manufacturing and subtractive manufacturing capabilities, is now ready to build demonstrator parts. Materials identified for the present project are aluminum and steel, as well as titanium in terms of extended system capability assessment.
The new system, said to be one of the world’s largest hybrid manufacturing machines, is expected to be capable of manufacturing large metal parts and structures for construction. It was developed by ten partners with funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research innovation program. The goal is to reduce costs and improve efficiency by producing a machine with the capability to manufacture components for the most demanding industries directly from CAD models.
LASIMM is a highly ambitious project that will culminate in the world’s largest 3D metal printer, which will be capable of producing quality-assured finished components directly from a CAD drawing. The key process technology of Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) combined with other advanced manufacturing processes and robotics enables this exciting but realistic possibility.
It will feature capabilities for AM, machining, cold work, metrology, and inspection. Its unique aspects are represented by the addition of innovative ancillary processes that are so far unseen on those hybrid platforms that are already available on the market. These processes include sensing, nondestructive testing, and cold-working methods that produce fully quality-assured parts with superior mechanical properties. Moreover, some of these processes will be carried out in parallel, leading to major cost and production time savings.
The modular approach of the system architecture will enable flexible reconfiguration, thus enabling potential for a high number of machine concepts. Regardless, no other setup operations will be required, apart from those necessary to load and unload the machine at the beginning and at the end of the manufacturing/repair process.
LASIMM’s project partners include the European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting, BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd., Foster + Partners Limited, Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Cranfield University, Global Robots Ltd., Loxin2002, S.L., Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht Zentrum für Material- und Küstenforschung GmbH, Autodesk Limited, and Instituto Superior Técnico.
