IIT Jodhpur Researchers Develop Metal 3D Printer For Aerospace, Defence Applications

The metal 3D printer developed by IIT Jodhpur researchers is suitable for repairing and adding additional material to existing components, and hence, is ideal for printing fully functional parts.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jodhpur, have indigenously developed a metal 3D printer which can be used for aerospace, defence, and general engineering applications. Except for the laser and robot systems, all the components of the metal 3D printer have been designed and manufactured in India. The main objective of the projective is to reduce the cost of metal 3D printers and attract a broader range of users.

How Is The 3D Printer Developed By IIT Jodhpur Researchers Useful?

The 3D printer has been developed based on the Direct Energy Deposition (DED) technology. This is a 3D printing method which uses a focused energy source to melt a material that is simultaneously deposited by a nozzle. The energy source could be a plasma arc, laser or electron beam. The growth of the metal 3D printer industry in India is limited due to the high price of the product and the more expensive proprietary metal powders imported from abroad. The metal 3D printer developed by IIT Jodhpur researchers is suitable for repairing and adding additional material to existing components, and hence, is ideal for printing fully functional parts for a range of industries including aerospace, defence, automotive, oil, gas, and general engineering.

The machine can print 3D parts with metal powders made in India, and has in-situ monitoring technologies which constantly monitor the melt pool temperature during the manufacturing process.

Why Is The Study Important?

According to a statement released by IIT Jodhpur, Dr Ravi KR, Associate Professor, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, IIT Jodhpur, said the small success of this research has given great hope to their team to undertake new endeavours. He added that the study results show that if all the parts needed to make a metal printing machine could be manufactured indigenously, the cost of a metal 3D printing machine could be reduced by two to three times, and such an initiative would further strengthen the policy decisions of the Government of India under the 'AtmanirbharBharat' initiative.

Over the past three decades, metal 3D printing technology has been slowly advancing. The technology is likely to grow rapidly over the next decade due to the astounding progress that has taken place recently in sensors, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) technologies. In future, researchers will aim to transform the current metal 3D printing machine into a "smart metal 3D printer".