The increasing demand for large, complex metals parts requires enhanced productivity and cost efficiency — goals that conventional Selective Laser Melting / Laser Powder Bed Fusion (SLM / LPBF) cannot fully achieve. The innovative Macro-SLM machine concept addresses this challenge by integrating high-power laser systems with cost-effective coarse-grain metal particles. This combination merges the complexity of SLM-parts with the efficiency of direct energy deposition. As a result, Macro-SLM significantly reduces production costs for large, complex metal parts. Components with a dimension in the cubic metre range can be built at rates up to 10 kg/h. This work presents the Macro-SLM setup and experimental results for steel samples. Tensile tests demonstrated that the mechanical properties of the as-built samples exceed the required standards. Additional data is provided for fatigue and hardness tests. The potential of the Macro-SLM process is further illustrated by full size prototypes of industrial parts.

The repair of turbine blades is essential for their sustainability, especially in the aerospace industry where their manufacture is both costly and effortful. Recent advancements in machine development led to the development of the MESSIAH system, which has the potential to repair large metallic components up to 2,5 meters high using powder bed fusion with laser beam for metals technology. However, the planning of repairs, the preparation of components and the compatibility of materials are still aspects of the MESSIAH system that haven't yet been considered adequately. This contribution provides a feasibility analysis and initial findings on using the MESSIAH system for the repair of turbine blades. The results provide insights into the potential and limitations of using the system in the repair process chain and give initial recommendations for its optimization. These findings provide a basis for improving repair strategies in order to increase the lifetime of the components.

Due to the limited production rates of AM technologies, like LPBF, the market and investment hype of AM has come to the slope of enlightenment, moving towards the plateau of productivity.

To further increase the diversity of AM machine designs and to solve limitations of conventional LPBF the authors have rethought the kinematics of LPBF machines. Inspired by centrifugal casting the metal powder is held on a circular track with high angular velocities causing a centrifugal acceleration of the particles in the powder bed, that overcomes gravitation. The laser optics is centered in the rotational axis melting the high velocity particles.

Process limitations are caused by the tradeoff between stabilized powder distribution and limited scanning speed. To increase processability and allow scalability the independent rotation of laser beam and powder bed were installed. This paper shows the development of a first prototype and initial process trials.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has emerged as a more sustainable alternative to other conventional manufacturing processes (e.g. machining). In this study a real-time monitoring system is used to monitor the laser directed energy deposition (DED-LB/P) process by a high speed IR camera, and acquire the actual values of the processing parameters (laser power, processing speed, powder flow, carrier and shielding gas flows, robot TCP coordinates and orientation) and power consumption of the AM equipment (laser, robot, powder feeder, and other auxiliary equipment). This monitoring system allows to perform the optimization of the DED-LB/P process regarding component quality, material consumption, and energy efficiency. Different process parameters, path planning and manufacturing strategies to produce Ti6Al4V alloy parts are compared according to both quality acceptance criteria and sustainability performance indicators (energy consumption, carbon footprint, resource use). These sustainability performance indicators can be used to compare DED-LB/P process with other AM and conventional manufacturing technologies.