Lincoln Electric and Partners Awarded Funds for AM R&D

The Lincoln Electric Company (Cleveland, OH) is part of a team that has received funding through America Makes (Youngstown, OH), the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, in conjunction with the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM; Blairsville, PA), for pursuing its patented laser hot wire technology for additive manufacturing. This latest round of funding takes AM technology to the next level of commercialization for enabling medium area additive manufacturing (MAAM) and big area additive manufacturing (BAAM), projects.

The $1 million in funding the team receives for product development efforts is part of $11 million offered to participating teams through this program. This funding award supports the team’s $2 million project entry, “MULTI: Source/FeedStock/Meter-Scale METAL AM Machine.”

The project team also includes Caterpillar Inc., EWI, GKN Aerospace, IPG Photonics Corp., ITAMCO, Oak Ridge National Lab, United Technologies Corp. and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Together, team members will use the funding to build upon an existing, alpha-generation CAD-to-path robotic software tool, testing and refining it for a commercial first release. The team also will conduct basic process testing to bundle the software with a multi-process, multi-meter, multi-material, process-ready, robot-based, 3D printing (3DP) system.

“This award is another step in a multi-year journey advancing robotic additive manufacturing, an effort that has engaged several members of the Wolf Robotics team,” notes Doug Rhoda, the president of Wolf Robotics, LLC (Fort Collins, CO), a Lincoln Electric Company.  “We are one of America Makes’ first members. Our relationship with the organization, as well as that with Oak Ridge National Lab’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, has been nothing but positive. As a team, we are moving this game-changing, additive-manufacturing capability forward in much faster and more effective ways than we ever could accomplish individually.”

Upon completion, the team anticipates a commercially available, multi-planner CAD-to-path software tool will be developed as the key workforce, education and outreach (WEO) component, enabling the production of MAAM and BAAM manufactured parts within the mainstream marketplace. They are targeting early adopters investing in new additive manufacturing systems to produce titanium and steel parts at Oak Ridge National Laboratory via America Makes program.

As the national accelerator for additive manufacturing and 3D printing, America Makes is the nation’s leading and collaborative partner in AM and 3DP technology research, discovery, creation, and innovation. Its Project Call partner, NCDMM, delivers optimized manufacturing solutions that enhance the quality, affordability, maintainability and rapid deployment of existing and yet-to-be developed defense systems through collaboration with government, industry and academic organizations.

Lincoln Electric is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc welding systems, plasma and oxy-fuel cutting equipment and has a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market. Headquartered in Cleveland, the company has 48 manufacturing locations, including operations and joint ventures in 19 countries and a worldwide network of distributors and sales offices covering more than 160 countries.

www.lincolnelectric.com, www.americamakes.us, www.ncdmm.org.