Formnext 2024: Worldwide Release of Meltio Engine Blue Robotic Arm Integration Kit

Formnext 2024 is currently taking place in Frankfurt, and as you would imagine, the announcements of new machines, materials, software, and more have been flying fast and furiously into our inboxes. One company that announced the worldwide release of its latest innovation at the trade show is Spanish multinational OEM Meltio. Specializing in wire-laser metal deposition (W-LMD) technology, Meltio has unveiled its new Meltio Engine Blue, an integration kit for robotic arms and vertical machining centers. The company says this system will enhance performance, and streamline the manufacturing process, of metal 3D printed parts on the factory floor.

“The new Meltio Engine Blue represents a crucial breakthrough in Meltio’s directed energy deposition (DED) technology, designed specifically to respond to the current demands of the manufacturing industry around the world,” said Meltio Product Manager Alejandro Nieto. “For our industrial customers, the Meltio Engine Blue represents a significant improvement in reliability and deposition rate, enabling increased production speed and quality. With a fiber-optic-free system and a 1.4 kW blue laser head, we have simplified integration into robotic arms and vertical machining centers, reducing maintenance times and eliminating common problems such as the need for continuous laser alignment. This approach will allow our customers to optimize their processes, reducing downtime and improving compatibility with a wide range of materials.”

This new system—a progression from the original Meltio Engine—directs the work of the printhead, from which blue lasers melt various metal materials, including copper, aluminum, nickel, titanium, and stainless steel. This enables reliable printed parts with high final density, while at the same time simplifying the process. It is a milestone for the company, as the Meltio Engine Blue was created to meet industrial market demands and increase adoption speed for industrial robot arms and vertical machining centers that already use its unique DED solution.

The industrial solution has an improved wire feeding system, with a more compact and lightweight design, making it compatible with a range of robotic arms and vertical machining centers. The Meltio Engine Blue also features upgraded safety features and high-quality servo motors on the T0, T1, and Z axes, doesn’t require collimators, fiber optics, or constant laser alignment, and is easy to integrate. All of this combined means that customers should enjoy higher productivity and uninterrupted operation. Plus, Meltio says that by using blue lasers, the system offers a deposition rate that’s up to 3.5 times higher than its predecessor, and also reduces energy consumption by 30%.

“The development of the new Meltio Engine Blue has been a painstaking process of more than two years, in which our engineering team has worked collaboratively with our partners and integrators to identify and overcome the challenges faced with the V3. Among the most important industry demands were the need to reduce maintenance time, increase reliability, and improve deposition rate,” said Nieto. “The elimination of components such as fiber optics and collimators has simplified the system, while the blue laser head and dual power supply system allow continuous and flexible operation, adapting to different materials and applications.”

The Meltio Engine Blue was designed to overcome the limitations of the Meltio V3, and meet the demands of today’s market. It would work well for a variety of industrial sectors that use metal AM, such as aerospace and defense, mining, automotive, energy, and more. If you are operating in a high-demand production environment, looking to increase productivity with higher deposition rates and reduced maintenance downtime, or work with complex materials, the Meltio Engine Blue might be the solution you need.

“While maintaining the foundation of integration into industrial robotic arms and vertical machining centers, the Meltio Engine Blue introduces substantial improvements in power, reliability, and ease of use, positioning itself as a disruptive option within our range of metal 3D printing solutions offered by Meltio to industries worldwide,” Nieto concluded.

Other notable features of the Meltio Engine Blue include:

• 1.4 kW Blue Laser, factory calibrated
• Deposition head with built-in process camera
• Quick-connect components
• Dual feeder with no external motors
• Upgraded process control
• 17″ and 27′ screen options
• Option to acquire additional heads for deployable systems

Meltio will also be showcasing unique metal 3D printed parts at its Formnext booth this week, which were manufactured using its W-LMD technology. Some of the parts were printed out of new materials for the company, like copper and marine bronze, and it offers dual-wire materials as well. Meltio also printed some parts on a build plate that integrated four materials: stainless steel, marine bronze, tool steel, and mild steel.

Finally, the company also recently announced a new official sales partner to help increase its growth in the Central European DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland). ProductionToGo is one of Europe’s largest specialist resellers of industrial 3D printers, with approximately 4,500 pallet spaces and 3,500 m² of working space at three separate locations. It will now play a very important part in distributing and supporting Meltio’s metal AM solutions. ProductionToGo will work to develop a strong and supportive ecosystem for Meltio’s technology in the DACH region by driving business opportunities and partnerships with academia, tooling machine companies, technology centers, robotic integrators, and industry.

“We are thrilled to be working with Production ToGo 3D Solution and this collaboration between us serves as a great indicator of how Meltio’s partner ecosystem and our unique wire-laser metal 3D printing technology for industries is evolving in DACH region,” said Francisco González, Head of EMEA at Meltio.

“Together, we will be able to cater to the ever-growing interest in Meltio’s technology and its applications for different industries and reliable applications.”

You can visit Meltio at Formnext in Hall 12.0, Booth C119. The Meltio M600, the Meltio Robot Cell, and the new Meltio Engine Blue will all be printing live during the event.