Rongsu Technology's Laser Coaxial Wire Feeding Metal 3D Printing Technology: A New Benchmark for DED Additive Manufacturing

PanDen 2024-9-26 23:59 3D Printers

Rongsu Technology(融速科技), a high-tech enterprise focusing on wire-fed metal additive manufacturing, is also China's leading provider of metal additive manufacturing solutions. The company excels in laser wire feeding and arc additive technologies, with core business areas covering additive equipment, printing services, and additive software.

As a leader in Directed Energy Deposition (DED) technology, Rongsu Technology has developed a second-generation disruptive laser coaxial wire feeding additive technology. This innovation offers users solutions with high precision, efficiency, performance, and reduced costs.

Second Generation Laser Coaxial Wire Feeding DED Technology

In February 2024, Rongsu Technology launched its latest DED laser wire-fed additive manufacturing equipment, the Laser One (L1), featuring the self-developed VEAM multi-laser coaxial wire feeding technology. This system allows for independent control of each laser beam, achieving a printing roughness as fine as 5μm, with deposition rates reaching up to 1kg/h.

This equipment has garnered significant attention in the market due to its superior precision and surface quality. Unlike traditional arc or plasma wire feeding systems, the L1 excels in forming accuracy and surface smoothness, easily meeting industrial delivery requirements.

Rongsu Technology highlighted that the L1 system not only achieves surface roughness standards ranging from Ra 3.2 to Ra 6.3, but it also enables real-time monitoring of critical process parameters during additive manufacturing, such as temperature, melt pool conditions, and environmental factors. The integrated melt pool camera and control software, fully developed in-house, ensure a highly efficient and stable production process. These strengths have made the L1 a star product, drawing widespread attention, with even the prototype exhibited at the Formnext show already pre-ordered by customers, demonstrating its technological maturity and market acceptance.

Applications from Aerospace to Civil Manufacturing

Rongsu Technology’s second-generation laser coaxial wire feeding technology has been widely applied across various fields, particularly achieving significant breakthroughs in aerospace and energy manufacturing. At the Formnext exhibition, Rongsu showcased several exemplary applications, including complex components such as turbine discs, heat exchangers, and engine nozzles. These components are highly challenging to manufacture, especially with intricate internal channel structures and rotating parts that are difficult to achieve using traditional methods. However, Rongsu's laser wire feeding technology easily overcomes these challenges.

Among these, the printing of titanium alloy square tubes showcased its powerful capability with high-performance metal materials. Compared to the arc wire feeding process, the laser process not only improves surface quality but also enables more complex geometric structures, such as bent tubes with internal channels and multi-vent pipes. These cases highlight that Rongsu’s equipment not only boosts production efficiency but also meets higher technical requirements and industrial standards.

Multi-Material Support: Comprehensive Solutions for Diverse Manufacturing Needs

Rongsu Technology's technological advantages also extend to its support for a variety of materials. According to Sales Director Wang, the company has completed validation for six major material categories in additive manufacturing, including iron-based, titanium-based, nickel-based, aluminum alloys, copper alloys, and magnesium alloys. Through meticulous adjustment of process parameters for these materials, the company offers customers a wide range of material options and customized solutions, catering to the needs of different industries.

In particular, in the aerospace sector, Rongsu, with its arc wire feeding technology, successfully printed large rocket fuel tanks. This technology, first introduced by SpaceX and now globally recognized, has also been successfully delivered in several domestic projects, positioning Rongsu as a key player in the field of additive manufacturing for the aerospace industry.

Modular Design of Laser Coaxial Wire Feeding Technology

Rongsu Technology's laser coaxial wire feeding technology not only stands out in terms of equipment performance but also exhibits great flexibility and modular design. The Laser One system incorporates the self-developed ultra-integrated laser wire feeding additive system L1 Lite, equipped with the Matrix array laser controller. The system features six laser beams with evenly distributed and stable energy. The standard melt pool monitoring camera captures dynamic melt pool details, enhancing printing precision and stability, and it also integrates a water cooling system. The compact and mobile design of the system makes it an ideal partner for research users. At the event, Laser One also demonstrated the printing of a pipeline bracket, attracting many attendees who observed the process and results up close.

This modular design provides customers with more choices, especially for upgrading existing production lines. Wang emphasized, "Whether for third-party equipment manufacturers or customers seeking upgrades, our equipment can be seamlessly integrated into existing systems, offering efficient additive manufacturing solutions."

Rongsu Technology leads the industry not only in hardware but also in enhancing production efficiency through digitalization and automation. Wang noted that the company’s advanced melt pool camera can monitor key parameters during the additive process in real time. Given the high intensity of light arcs in laser and arc processes, traditional visual observation is nearly impossible. However, Rongsu's melt pool camera effectively captures and monitors the entire process, ensuring manufacturing quality.

Moreover, Rongsu's equipment integrates an intelligent control system that automatically plans additive paths and adjusts process parameters in real time. This reduces manual intervention while significantly improving production efficiency and stability.

Future Prospects: Expanding Fields and Technological Upgrades

Looking ahead, Rongsu Technology will continue to focus on laser additive manufacturing, especially in aerospace, energy, and large-scale manufacturing sectors. By continuously optimizing existing technology and developing new materials, the company aims to further expand the applications of laser coaxial wire feeding technology.

Wang also revealed that Rongsu plans to launch more intelligent and modular equipment in the future to meet the market's demand for high-precision, high-efficiency additive manufacturing. The company will continue to increase R&D investment, driving technological advancements in the industry and offering more diverse solutions through deep collaborations across various sectors.

Conclusion

Rongsu Technology, through its advanced second-generation laser coaxial wire feeding technology, has successfully propelled the additive manufacturing industry forward. In an interview with Panda3dp.com, Wang detailed the company’s technological advantages in multi-material support, modular design, and digital monitoring. As additive manufacturing technology continues to advance, Rongsu Technology is poised to lead innovation in the industry, providing more efficient and intelligent solutions for various sectors.

From August 28 to 30, 2024, the Formnext + PM South China Shenzhen International Additive Manufacturing, Powder Metallurgy, and Advanced Ceramics Exhibition was held grandly at the Shenzhen International Convention and Exhibition Center. As a professional media outlet in the additive manufacturing industry, Panda3dp.com conducted a series of interviews with the exhibitors at the event.

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