AddiTec, a founding partner and reseller for 3D printer OEM Meltio, works with Amorphology, a NASA spinoff specializing in advanced materials, on the development of special 3D printed gearbox components.
Strain wave gears are a compact and zero backlash gearbox used in robotic arms and precision-motion mechanisms. They transmit torque through a geared thin-walled cup, hat, or band, called a flexspline. The flexspline has precise gear teeth and a flexible wall, a combination of qualities that drives the manufacturing costs of a strain wave gearbox. Because of their complexity, strain wave gears can account for a substantial portion of the cost of a six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) robotic arm.
“When you look at machining of flexsplines that are 6 to 8 inches in diameter, the large steel feedstock may be reduced to as little as 10% of its original volume. This is a detriment from both cost and sustainability standpoints, as energy and material are wasted to produce a part which is a shell of the original stock. Additive manufacturing becomes a promising alternative since the machining costs can potentially be dramatically reduced while allowing for the cost-effective use of high-performance steels,” said Dr. Glenn Garrett, Amorphology CTO.
Amorphology & AddiTec together have demonstrated a 6-inch diameter prototype of a strain wave gear flexspline printed in high-performance 17-4 precipitation hardened steel. The prototype was fabricated on a Haas CNC hybrid system running the Meltio Engine. The printed part was removed from the build-tray and then CNC machined into the precision shape. The process also allows for flexible and on-time production of a variety of large flexsplines without having to keep many diameters of stock in house.
“AddiTec uses Meltio’s Laser Metal Deposition with wire and/or powder (LMD-WP) technology (a form of DED). In LMD-WP process, lasers create a melt pool in which wire and/or powder is fed to create weld beads. These weld beads are then layered precisely to fabricate near-net shaped metal components. This technology can be used to create components from a CAD design or for part repair. In addition, the ability to integrate with a CNC machine makes it a hybrid system. Hybrid manufacturing is a ‘one-stop solution’ for seamless metal component production – it combines both additive and subtractive operations on one common platform, thereby reducing the overall cost and time for fabricating components,” explains Brian Matthews, CEO of AddiTec.
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