| Description |
The AMAZE project aimed to turn additive manufacturing into a mainstream industrial process and develop improved AM materials. It was the most comprehensive AM project undertaken so far. Its main goal was to quickly produce large metallic components up to 2 metres in size using additive manufacturing, with close to zero waste. The production was aimed at high-performance parts for aeronautics, space, automotive, tooling and nuclear fusion sectors with end users such as Thales Alenia, Bombardier Aerospace Belfast, the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy and the European Space Agency.
In the end, AMAZE was able to increase productivity of AM processes (in some cases 10x), as well as save as much as 50% of manufacturing costs and floor space required. In addition, it led to processing materials which have never been processed by AM before.
AMPLab contributed to the project in several ways, including development of free material optimisation modelling software which allowed lightweighting of some parts made by AM; development of in process feedback adjustment software for LMD; development of new, more effective build strategies, such as in-situ shelling and subsequent HIPping; eco-friendly alloy development; SLM processing of refractory metals; as well as production of large metallic lattices for selective sound-damping sonic crystals and auxetic structures for energy adsorption.
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| Partners |
Airbus, Avio Aero, BAE Systems, Bombardier, CCFE, ESA, Thales Alenia, Volvo, Cranfield University, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Politecnico di Torino, Swansea University, MTC, The University of Manchester, Friedrich Alexander-Universität, Fraunhofer, BCT, ConceptLaser, ESI Group, Granta, Irepa Laser, Norsk Titanium, Reinshaw, TRUMPF, Tecnalia
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