New process chains involving additive manufacturing and metal forming - a chance for saving energy?

Metal forming often draws upon cutting or machining operations to produce the final part geometry. Both in sheet and in bulk metal forming, a large amount of scrap is produced by the limited capability of metal forming processes for net-shape production. Additive manufacturing, in contrast, enables the production of complex components with only little requirements for finishing operations. Its drawbacks, however, are the low productivity, the limited part size and the high energy consumption for powder production and melting during manufacturing. This paper explores the potential of combining metal forming and additive manufacturing to new process chains from the viewpoint of energy consumption. The production of load-adapted, locally reinforced sheet metal parts of Aluminium alloys is considered. The energy requirements for metal forming, additive manufacturing and the combination of both processes are compared. Powder production from primary and secondary Aluminium is regarded. 54 powder-producing companies were identified, 11 of which offer Aluminium powder material. So far, only a single company produces Aluminium powder from secondary Aluminium. It is shown that the process combination of metal forming and additive manufacturing may enable substantial energy savings for powder produced from secondary Aluminium. (c) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on the Technology of Plasticity.