Additive Manufacturing Part II: Laser Powder Bed Fusion

Discover how to put Additive Manufacturing to work for your business in the MSC and Tooling U-SME webinar playback, Additive Manufacturing Part II: Laser Powder Bed Fusion.

Presented by Chris Barrett, President & Founder of 3DDirections, you’ll learn more about how additive manufacturing works. See how it can benefit your business by reducing time-to-market, improving product quality, enhancing collaboration and streamlining parts integration.

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) has generated significant hype in the Aerospace and Biomedical markets.  Everything from the LEAP nozzle by GE Additive to Titanium implants from 3DSystems.  

Learning Objectives:

• Techniques for deciding if a part is a good candidate for additive manufacturing printing
• Should we utilize Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM)
• The lifecycle of part creation using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF)

About the Host: Christopher Barrett is the President and Founder of 3DDirections LLC, a consulting firm for de-risking the adoption of additive manufacturing (AM). After working as the factory fellow at America Makes, as then a Ph.D. Candidate at Youngstown State University, he realized the immense need for unbiased, practical advice for companies as they decide how to enter the AM space. Company tours and education were a regular part of the weekly routine at America Makes and as the leading additive technology expert for the company this was a great networking opportunity.

His previous clients have included CEO’s weighing through the financial risks vs rewards, and technicians struggling with failed builds and the proper layout of support structures. Additionally, he has consulted on various research projects including designing CAD models and support structures for struggling clients.

Christopher’s background as both a researcher of in situ monitoring using direct metal laser sintering equipment and technician for numerous other classes of printers, has afforded him the unique opportunity to run and troubleshoot printers from all seven ASTM categories. This experience has allowed him to see the good, bad, and ugly, which is invaluable when deciding whether to walk down a designated path. He prefers a practical budget-oriented approach when guiding companies to ensure bottom line is continually met throughout the process. This often includes finding indirect ways to support final part production instead of always directly printing final parts, as he is a firm believer in traditional manufacturing techniques.