ORNL and Lincoln Electric Advance Metal AM

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL; Oakridge, TN) and The Lincoln Electric Company (Cleveland, OH) are continuing their collaboration on large-scale, robotic additive manufacturing (AM) technology at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Manufacturing InnovationXLab Summit. Their new agreement builds upon their previous developments by extending additive technology to new materials, leveraging data analytics and enabling rapid manufacture of metal components in excess of 100 lb/hr. These developments will focus on increasing throughput while lowering costs and improving the quality of large-scale additively manufactured metallic structures that are essential for multiple industrial applications.

“Working with them is an important step in advancing manufacturing in the U.S.,” said ORNL’s associate laboratory director for energy and environmental science, Moe Khaleel.  “Approximately 60 to 80 percent of molds for the manufacturing of metallic components are produced overseas. With this new collaboration, U.S. manufacturers will be able to showcase their ability to manufacture tools, dies and molds additively with reduced costs and lead times while maintaining speed and a quality build.”

“We have successfully partnered with their Manufacturing Demonstration Team over the last three years to develop industry-leading metal additive technologies,” said Tom Matthews, the senior vice president for technology and research and development for Lincoln Electric. “Together, we will continue to advance the technical boundaries of AM as we commercialize this innovative manufacturing capability, which will benefit a broad array of manufacturing sectors.” The Manufacturing Demonstration Facility is supported by the DOE office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), which supports early-stage research to advance innovation in U.S. manufacturing and promote American economic growth and energy security.

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