BLT, the metal 3D printing specialist, recently showcased their industry-leading innovations at TCT Asia 2024. The exhibition, renowned for unveiling cutting-edge technologies in additive manufacturing, provided BLT with a tremendous platform to introduce their latest product launches and highlight key components. The event was a resounding success, leaving attendees in awe of BLT’s advancements and eagerly anticipating their next move. Let’s delve into the highlights of BLT’s participation at TCT Asia 2024.
BLT Stable Production Systems Upgrade Plan Officially Released
BLT has officially released an upgrade for its stable production systems BLT-S450, BLT-S600, and BLT-S800. The newly upgraded BLT-S450 has a build dimension of 450mm× 450mm×500mm and offers options for 4, 6, or 8 lasers. The 8-laser configuration increases the forming efficiency by approximately 1.8 times compared to the 4-laser. BLT-S600 has an expanded build dimension of 650mm × 650mm × 850mm and can host up to 16 lasers, which brings the forming efficiency up to about 3.5 times compared to the 4-laser. BLT-S800 can be equipped with up to 20 lasers, which can increase the forming efficiency by about 2.9 times compared to the 4-laser.
The upgraded systems can carry a video monitoring module and a self-learning platform. The video monitoring module can monitor and record the forming process in real-time, with a large-space storage that facilitates quality tracing of the forming process. The self-learning platform, through AI model methods, helps users detect defects autonomously, allowing users to customize and train defect characteristics based on actual working conditions, and fine-tune the model in conjunction with production data.
New Application Cases Unveiled
Aerospace
At TCT Asia 2024, BLT displayed an integrated hybrid reaction radiator, which is the latest engineered application case of the BLT-S1500. The product is large in size, contains a variety of complex structures and fine features, and is integrally formed by 26-laser BLT-S1500, with a monolithic integration of parts. On the basis of ensuring quality and reliability, the production cycle is shortened, and the economic cost is brought down. BLT and Landspace jointly presented the ignition elbow, which is a thin-walled part with a special-shaped structure. BLT selected superalloy material and used BLT-S400 to achieve batch production of this part. It can produce 10 parts on a full substrate, with a printing time of approximately 65 hours.
Automotive & Bicycle
BLT showcased the rear subframe of an electric car redesigned and produced for a new energy vehicle client. The part uses Bi-directional Evolutionary Structural Optimization (BESO) to obtain a structure with superior performance. The entire optimization-design is controlled by a highly automated parametric process, with convenient and precise tweak of local details. Integrally formed by BLT-S815 the final part adopts a lattice-filled hollow structure with wall thickness of 2mm, 20% lighter than the hollow die-cast aluminum alloy of the original scheme, and avoids the local discontinuous corners from the conventional process limitation. The strength and stiffness of the formed parts meet the needs of use.
BLT and Titan Super Bond jointly showcased a bicycle frame. BLT leverages the BLT-S400 machine to manufacture titanium alloy bicycle frame nodes, i.e. the complex areas where tubes merge together: head tube, bottom bracket, seat clamp and rare drop-outs. The bike shown on TCT marks the beginning of mass-produced affordable 3D printed alloy bike frames, with good potential of batch customization. Alloy bike frames produced using AM technology do not only have a smooth appearance, but are also lighter, stronger, corrosion-resistant, and more durable under heavy usage.
Industry
BLT showcased new tool application cases titanium alloy mill holder and mill arbor. Based on AM thinking, BLT designed and optimized the parts, improving the internal cooling system. The formed parts have reduced self-weight compared to the original design, enhancing the service life of the tools and reducing operational energy consumption.
About heat exchangers，BLT displayed three new types of “minimal surface” heat exchanger. The G-configuration minimal surface heat exchanger adopts the G-configuration core, which has the same two-phase heat exchange volume and has good mechanical bearing capacity and preparation manufacturability, the P-configuration minimal curved surface heat exchanger is suitable for the rotation characteristic type heat exchange and heat dissipation scenario, and the D-configuration minimal curved surface heat exchanger has a large specific surface area and high heat exchange efficiency. The three heat exchangers are made of aluminum alloy, and the heat exchange performance is currently being studied, and the heat exchange efficiency can be theoretically increased by about 30%.
Special Material
BLT developed a copper alloy forming process, using BLT-S515 to achieve the integral forming of a copper nozzle. The part size is 255mm×250mm×420mm, integrating the common bracket structure and pipeline structure in liquid engines into a design and display that highlights the advantages of integrated forming in AM.
Precision Forming
BLT developed the precision forming parameters can achieve minimum size features of 0.1mm. BLT technologically designed stainless steel topological surface process parts, with four parts using four different layer thicknesses, demonstrate the different roughness of parts under different layer thicknesses. The roughness of the formed parts can reach Ra 2.6.
Support-Free Technology
BLT technical team has conducted extensive research and development on large-sized flow channels and horizontal overhangs, successfully printing a φ100 support-free horizontal flow channel and a φ100 support-free horizontal surface. This advancement allows support-free technology to be more widely and reasonably applied in the production of actual parts.
Don’t miss the opportunity to engage with BLT at Rapid TCT 2024 in North America, where we will showcase our latest advancements and demonstrate how our solutions that can empower your manufacturing processes. Join us at this prestigious event and unlock the future of additive manufacturing. Stay tuned for updates and immerse yourself in the limitless possibilities offered by BLT.
