Metal 3D Printer Commissioning

Project Description

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Our project involved the commissioning, testing, initial operation, and training development of a Concept Laser Mlab Cusing R metal 3D printer. This printer was donated by Honeywell to NAU’s Mechanical Engineering department and was stationed in the IDEA Lab in the engineering building. The goal was to have the printer fully functioning by the end of the 2024–2025 school year and ready for integration into the ME286L Manufacturing Lab curriculum, as well as available for work orders from the IDEA Lab.

Background

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The printer uses laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology, which fuses powdered metal together to form a part. Since this powder is often reactive with oxygen, it requires an inert environment – provided using argon gas. Unlike fused filament fabrication (FFF), which extrudes thermoplastics through a nozzle to create a shape, LPBF uses a laser to melt extremely thin layers of powdered metal onto the previous layer. Each layer is spread across the powder bed with a blade, melted into the cross-section of the part, and repeated until the print is complete. The finished part is surrounded and filled with loose metal powder, which must be carefully removed before it can be handled safely.

Videos

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Project Summary

IDEA Lab Printer Setup

Autodesk Netfabb Slicing Demo

Glovebox Usage Demo