The Synergies of Hybridizing CNC and Additive Manufacturing

Winner of 2014 RTAM/SME Dick Aubin Distinguished Paper Award

Since its inception, Additive Manufacturing (AM) has been dominated by stand-alone system architectures. This has fostered implementation of AM independent from other manufacturing technologies. With mirrored myopia, the CNC world has largely been an idle spectator to the advancements in AM of metals during the last decade.

The compatible and complementary nature of CNC and AM means that they need not and should not be mutually exclusive. To fully leverage the potential synergies of additive and subtractive technologies, hybrid machine tools, equipped for CNC and AM, enable the use of both technologies in optimal proportions as needed. This paper demonstrates hybrid CNC machines equipped with laser cladding capabilities. This combination provides an ideal platform for high-value part repair, refurbishment and modification. It enables in-process finishing of metal AM parts, typically achieving an order of magnitude improvement in accuracy and surface finish straight out of the machine (including elimination of stair-stepping effects inherent in layered manufacturing). Furthermore, interleaving material deposition and milling enables the creation of unique hybrid parts which are not achievable using either technology independently. The author asserts that as AM surges forward with end-use part production, the sun is setting on the era of its use in isolation.

Presented at: RAPID 2014 Conference & Exposition, SME, June 9-12, 2014, Detroit, MI.