Metal 3D printer for SDU

SDU wants to expand its metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) capabilities with a different type of machine than the laser powder bed fusion they currently own. Scientifically, it has been agreed among colleagues that the new machine should be an Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (EB-PBF) device. This helps give SDU a unique profile in the AM landscape in Denmark. To this end, management is willing to invest in the acquisition of a new 3D printer. Looking at the market, among the very few manufacturers of EB-PBF globally, Freemelt stands out as the sole manufacturer with a product that fits the technical demand. Moreover, its targetting of lab environments is an essential asset, supported heavily by what SDU considers mandatory features such as the ones listed below. It is important to observe that SDU not only expects a combination of some of these features, but finds all of them mandatory to align with its research track. Freemelt is therefore found to be the sole manufacturer that can achieve all desirables from SDU. 1.Open-source and open-architecture: The approach allows for flexibility and adaptability,which is a significant advantage in meeting evolving needs. While other machines are of greatquality, the fully open-source nature of Freemelt is unique. It is a hard requirement from SDUthat the software is completely open, with full and complete feature control which can be codeddirectly. 2. Technology patents: Specifically, the ProHeat, electron gun (which provides high beam powerfor a small beam size, crucial for high productivity with tungsten), and spot preheatingtechnologies. The ProHeat feature is unique to Freemelt, and it is a mandatory requirement forSDU towards printing specific lower-conductive alloys. The well-known smoking issues of EB-PBF constitute a mandatory issue to be avoided for SDU, and the ProHeat uniquely addressesthis. These are key differentiators that set Freemelt apart from the competition. The relevantpatents are US12062518B2 – CATHODE ASSEMBLY FOR ELECTRON GUN (grantedpatent), JP7384366B2 – PREHEATING OF POWDER BED, JP7302145B2 – SPOTPREHEATING, EP3784473B1 – BUILD COMPARTMENT WITH SELF-SEALINGDESIGN 3. Spot melting: SDU wants to alternate the scanning strategies with full control, i.e. not onlychanging the stripe pattern, but allowing for the transition to point scanning with completefunctionalization of the pattern. The PixelMelt feature of Freemelt supports this uniquely. 4. In-situ monitoring: SDU expects to integrate monitoring features (cameras, pyrometers, etc.)directly into the hardware, and the integration-ready state of the Freemelt product, with its rangeof dedicated ports, is a strong asset.