at the csiro arcam electron beam melting facility, we can manufacture complex 3d parts layer by layer from metal powders. in this animation, we show you how the arcam machine can be used to make part of a biomedical hip implant. the implant is made using computer-aided design files. it is possible to fabricate multiple components at the same time. this allows for economies of scale. first, the cad file is uploaded and the design sliced into cross sections to set up for a layer-by-layer build.
3d printing with metal powder, metal powder is then poured into the arcam chamber. the powder is smoothed by raking and heated to partially set the powder, before the powder is fused by the electron beam. the powder bed is raked again and reheated.
the individual metal particles in each layer melt together.
the process is then repeated so that the part is built up layer by layer. excess powder is removed and reused in the system. the process has a variety of applications for creating complex custom parts in aerospace and defence, medicine and manufacturing.
