CEFAM

Strategic Program for Training Excellence in Additive Manufacturing of Metallic materials

Financed by:

File number: CER-20191005

Call: Accreditation and granting of aid for “Cervera” Technology Centers of Excellence

Partners

• CEIT

• AIDIMME

• CATEC

• LORTEK

Summary

The general objective of the project is the creation of a network of excellence in Additive Manufacturing supported on two complementary pillars: an internationally recognized know-how and a market orientation that allows it to act as a driving force behind the Spanish industrial sector.

The complementary capabilities of the four members of the consortium allow the entire value chain of additive manufacturing of metallic materials to be covered: from the design of new starting materials and their production in the form of powder or wire, the additive manufacturing process itself or the post-processing stages, to advanced testing technologies that verify demonstrators in relevant environments that the developments obtained meet the necessary requirements for their implementation on an industrial scale.

During the 3-year duration of the project, the consortium will tackle the additive manufacturing of a wide catalog of metals: high-strength aluminum alloys, pure copper, precipitation-hardened copper alloys, hard and soft magnetic materials, INVAR, Ni-base alloys (such as INCONEL 718, INCONEL 738 and CM 247 LC), Ti alloys, high value added stainless steels, tool steels and Fe-based amorphous alloys for wear and corrosion resistant coatings. The materials developed will be processed using SLM (Selective Laser Melting), LMD (Laser Metal Deposition), EBM (Electron Beam Melting) and WAAM (Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing), and the integration of Femtosecond lasers in additive manufacturing equipment will be studied.

The project also affects other key aspects to achieve excellence such as training and attracting talent

Through the achievement of this project, the CEIT, LORTEK, AIDIMME and FADA-CATEC technology centers have been distinguished as "Cervera Center of Excellence" in relation to Additive Manufacturing and received aid for the STRATEGIC PROGRAM FOR TRAINING EXCELLENCE IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING DE MATERIALES METÁLICOS (CEFAM) ”(Expte: CER-20191005) through the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI) under the Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Ceit's role in the project

Ceit, project coordinator, is responsible for the administrative and technical supervision of the project. Furthermore, it is responsible for:

• Activities related to the development of starting materials. It also actively participates in the definition of specifications of the materials in powder form, produces practically all the families of alloys with which the project will be worked, and designs, manufactures and tests components of atomization units to adapt the characteristics of the powder to different Additive Manufacturing technologies.

• The development of Femtosecond laser-based manufacturing technologies for the manufacture of materials that are difficult to process.

• CEFAM research staff training activities.