Robust and Reliable Additive Manufacturing
At Chicago Innovation Days, DMG MORI will be showcasing the LASERTEC 30 SLM Gen 3 as a 2026 U.S. premiere. This new platform for additive manufacturing has been designed from the ground up using all the additive and machine tool design know-how within DMG MORI. With its new quad laser full overlap working area, and a build volume of 325 x 325 x 400 mm, the center of market demand is targeted. The LASERTEC 30 SLM Gen 3 is the new benchmark for robustness and repeatability.
Design principles from Milling and Turning Machines
The LASERTEC 30 SLM Gen 3 advances strengths from previous versions and accommodates customer requirements in a maturing additive manufacturing marketplace.
The most obvious feature when looking behind the sheet metal is that the primary structure of the LASERTEC 30 SLM Gen 3 utilizes castings, applying the same design principles used on the majority of DMG MORI milling and turning machines.
While using a casting is standard practice for DMG MORI it is new to additive manufacturing. A casting base guarantees the best rigidity and predictability for part manufacturing.
Unlike machine tools, there are no lateral forces from the movement of the axes on a LASERTEC 30 SLM Gen 3. However, temperature changes that cause thermal expansion within the machine are inevitable. DMG MORI has years of experience in minimizing the effect of and compensating for temperature changes within its products. Great care has been taken to ensure that the process chamber is an isolated unit within the machine. Therefore, the Floating Process Chamber is free to expand in all directions during temperature variations, thus decoupling it and any thermal affect from the build plane. Likewise, the optics are mounted on the rigid casting Gantry Frame, isolated from thermal effect. To further ensure a build free from thermal expansion, the recoater is also mounted to the frame and decoupled from the Floating Process Chamber. In addition, the Z-axis on which the build is mounted, is actively compensates for displacement. Through this thoughtful design, problems related to the position and distance between the optics and the top surface of the powder bed can be eliminated.
Intelligent powder processing with rePLUG system
To reduce time between build jobs and to increase flexibility, the DMG MORI rePLUG units have been an important competitive advantage on previous SLM products. The rePLUG is a self-contained automated metal powder processing unit that can be exchanged with other rePLUG units of a different metal powder. Existing customers with qualified processes, which are often found in the aerospace and medical industries, appreciate and rely on the rePLUG system to ensure top quality powder is continually in use. The excess powder from the working area is fully recycled while remaining contained within the rePLUG, all under an inert gas atmosphere within a closed loop. This not only minimizes oxidization risk or any moisture build-up, but also reduces potential operator exposure to the powder, an important safety consideration. For other customers the rePLUG makes changing between different materials much easier. Related components inside the machine itself can be easily cleaned, making the LASERTEC 30 SLM Gen 3 the quickest machine to change between materials on the market. This greatly widens the range of applications that a single machine can be used for.
Easy exchange of build containers
As additive manufacturing moves to mainstream production, the need to optimize build turnover is coming into greater focus. For the first time on a DMG MORI LASERTEC SLM, it is possible to exchange the build container quickly. This increases machine efficiency since it is no longer necessary to wait for the build job to cool down. Covers for the build container and the working area are stored inside the working area during operation. These are used to close off the build container upon removal and to ensure that the inert gas atmosphere inside the machine and the build canister are preserved. The next build job can be quickly started without a renewed inert gas flooding.
Disruption during manufacturing is further minimized by camera monitoring of the surface of the powder bed. After each layer, the surface is scanned for anomalies before the re-coater moves. These anomalies can be reported in real time to an operator to make decisions on how to best respond. For example, if only one part is affected due to a support release, that individual part can be cancelled while allowing the build to go on uninterrupted. There is also intelligent identification of where an anomaly may exist in reference to a part. An anomaly outside of the melt zone may not necessitate a build stoppage. In this way the
LASERTEC 30 SLM Gen 3 ensures the highest levels of build success.
Secure operation
The newly designed inert gas flow over the powder bed ensures a consistent laminar flow during operation. The secondary gas flow below the protective glass aims to avoid any residue build-up on the protective glass. The wind tunnel like design ensures unprecedented gas flow performance. The protection glass itself is under constant observation by a secondary camera system that gives a warning if there is a problem. Additional lighting is provided around the protective glass to support the operator when checking and cleaning the protective glass between build jobs.
DMG MORI places high emphasis on the usability and ergonomics of the machine. Reducing the operator’s contact with the powder is a primary consideration. Another key area where the LASERTEC 30 SLM Gen 3 excels is with the CELOS X operating environment. CELOS X guides the operator through all the steps required to get a job running. For example, it prompts the operator to clean the safety glass and shows how it is done. It also walks the operator through the powder refilling process, daily checks and how maintenance operations are to be performed. CELOS X guidance is important for the adoption of safe and efficient operating procedures on the shop floor.
Contact us for all issues related to DMG MORI technical press.