BeAM Machines Delivers Magic 2.0 Additive Manufacturing System to Its North American Solutions Center in Cincinnati

Just a month ago, European Directed Energy Deposition (DED) solutions specialist BeAM Machines SAS, headquartered in France, made its move into the US market, and opened the doors to its BeAM Machines, Inc. subsidiary in Cincinnati, Ohio. The 20,000-square-foot North American Solutions Center offers applications, process development, sales and service, training, and R&D activity. While attending formnext 2016 in November, BeAM presented its MODULO additive manufacturing machine, along with projects completed using both its industrial MOBILE and Magic 2.0 3D printers, the latter of which recently arrived at the BeAM North American Solutions Center.

“April is a very important month, as we have just taken delivery of the very first Magic 2.0 in North America,” said Tim Bell, General Manager of BeAM Machines, Inc. “The Magic 2.0 is a large format 5 continuous axis machine designed for serial production or repair of high value components in industries with long lead times and high buy-to-fly ratios. The standard machine specifications include an X,Y,X build volume of 1200 x 800 x 800, Siemens 840D Control, IPG 2KW Fiber Laser, MacroCLAD 10Vx Deposition Head, along with many other industry leading features.”

Magic 2.0

The industrial Magic 2.0 was developed for cutting-edge industries that need dedicated working areas for direct 3D manufacturing to work on repairing large, metallic parts. Aerospace MRO sites often use the Magic 2.0 to fix LPT blades, gas turbine shaft seals, stator vanes, and several other valuable components that have been, up until this point, unable to be repaired – as Chromalloy showed 3DPrint.com at formnext with a successfully repaired turbine component. The Magic 2.0 has also created near net shapes, and because it takes less energy to make the components, less material is wasted, lessening the environmental impact from machining with expensive forgings. The Magic 2.0 evolved from the Magic 1.0, to follow BeAM partners’ industrial feedback, including:

• improvement of maintainability
• improvement of accessibility
• better productivity

The Magic 2.0 also comes with a powder distributor, with a 1.5L bowl, and some of its standard options include a controlled atmosphere with purification system, a milling spindle, and a Renishaw MP250 probe.

“Some of the more unique applications include combining multiple advanced technologies such as Powder Bed Fusion and Directed Energy Deposition, leveraging the abilities of both of these additive manufacturing technologies at the component design level, allowing some of the world’s most advanced manufacturing facilities to push the envelope on what is possible,” said Bell. “The freedom of design that Additive Manufacturing gives our customers allows them to achieve component performance and life cycle levels that historically were only ‘pipe dreams’.”

BeAM’s DED in action

Due to its metal DED and CLAD 3D printing technology, BeAM is already well-known in Europe, and the company is accomplished in working with global industry leaders to provide additive manufacturing solutions. BeAM was also a Gold Sponsor at this week’s AMUG Conference in Chicago, and is “proud to be involved in programs that are advancing our world like never before.”

The new North American Solutions Center will employ material scientists, service technicians, applications and manufacturing engineers, machinists and technicians, support staff, and the business development team. You can also find a metallurgical laboratory, training center, post processing machine shop, and final machine assembly area inside.

“Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, the BeAM Machines North American Solutions Center is about 30 minutes north of the Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport, an optimal location to serve the many leading edge companies who will utilize our DED technology and solutions,” said Bell. “Our Solutions Center will provide customers across multiple industries, including the aeronautic, aerospace, defense, nuclear and oil and gas industries with world class machine sales, service support, and training, as well as complete process development including applications engineering and material development.”

He expanded on these thoughts, previously telling 3DPrint.com of the key location, “With the opening of the BeAM Machines Solutions Center here in Cincinnati, it puts us in the Heart of the Aerospace corridor which is quickly becoming the Additive Manufacturing Corridor that stretches from Michigan to Alabama.”

3DPrint.com will soon be visiting the Cincinnati site to get a first-hand look at the technology on-site; after all, BeAM can’t bring their massive additive manufacturing systems to trade shows. To get a closer look at BeAM’s metal 3D printing process, take a look at this short video:

Discuss in the BeAM forum at 3DPB.com.