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BAAM Recognized for Innovation

The large-scale additive manufacturing system can print polymer components up to ten times larger and at speeds 200 times to 500 times faster than previously existing additive machines.

Posted: May 4, 2016

CI, ORNL and Dassault Systèmes received the Composite Innovations Award at the JEC World 2016 event in Paris, France. Carey Chen (far left), is the president and chief executive officer of Cincinnati Incorporated, and Craig Blue (center), is the director of the advance manufacturing office of ORNL,

BAAM is an industrial sized additive machine that allows quick 3D production of large parts. Its ability to use commodity thermoplastic materials means the cost per part will be reasonable. Its open architecture for material vendors keeps material costs lower and allows for more options.

Cincinnati Incorporated (CI; Harrison, OH) and development partners Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL; Oak Ridge, TN) and Dassault Systèmes (Vélizy-Villacoublay, France) were honored at the Innovation Awards at JEC World 2016 in Paris, France, for their composite innovations through Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM). Carey Chen, the president and chief executive officer of CI, and Craig Blue, the director of the advance manufacturing office of ORNL, were present at the event, which is a worldwide competition in composites innovation to collect the top prestigious innovation award selected across two dozen global industries.

“We are leading the way in the large scale and high speed additive manufacturing arena, and BAAM will revolutionize the method and speed of prototyping, as well as the way tooling and production parts are made,” said Chen. “Each new market is a catalyst for developing the use of new and different materials.”

BAAM is an industrial sized, additive machine with a proven design and technology from CI’s laser platform. The machine was designed to allow 3D printing to be used for the quick production of large parts. Its ability to use commodity thermoplastic materials means that the cost per part will be reasonable, and by designing a system with an open architecture for material vendors, material costs can be kept lower and allow for more options.

CI, ORNL, and Dassault Systèmes partnered in 2014 to develop the large-scale additive manufacturing system, which is capable of printing polymer components up to ten times larger and at speeds 200 times to 500 times faster than previously existing additive machines. The collaboration aims to introduce significant new capabilities to the U.S. machine tool sector that supplies manufacturing technology to a wide range of industries, including automotive, aerospace, marine, appliance and robotics. The group continues to pursue the development of BAAM and the types of materials that can be used.

The JEC Innovation Awards Program celebrates composites innovations and has benefitted over 2,000 companies since its inception in 1998. The goals of this program are to identify, promote and reward composite solutions worldwide, encourage companies that are involved in composite innovation along with their partners, enhance their public exposure, and ultimately, contribute to the advancement of the composite industry. Technical excellence, partnerships, market potential, financial and environmental impact, and originality are the criteria on which selection is based.

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