Companies: Innovative 3D printing system to be integrated into production cycles

A state-of-the-art 3D laser printing system, more flexible and suitable for highly innovative SMEs, is being developed as part of the project InSPiRATiON^[1], funded by the Ministry of University and Research with half of the over than 6 million euro budget. The programme includes ENEA, Marrelli Health srl, OMPM srl and Consortium CALEF, acting through its implementing partners LASIT spa, EL.EN spa, Calabria University, Salerno University, Bari Polytechnic and Italian Welding Institute. ENEA has provided its four laboratories of the Material Technologies and Processes Sustainability Division, which will manufacture the materials for 3D printing, process diagnostics and do the characterization of the samples.              

In addition to traditional metallic materials for mechanical processing, the application of high-performance ceramics - innovative materials whose use in additive manufacturing is not fully established -will be studied.

 “3D laser printing is linked to supply and management of process powders and post-processing of finished components which lead to an average use of 90% of materials. InSPiRATiON is based on an innovative concept of flexible production wholly made in Italy, which consists in producing the powders in situ from waste materials deriving from complementary processes like mechanical machining", explained Giuseppe Barbieri, president of the Consortium CALEF.

"InSPiRATiON is an opportunity for ENEA to collaborate with the aeronautical and biomedical industry experimenting with plasma technology for on-demand manufacturing of materials", pointed out Sergio Galvagno, ENEA researcher at the Nanomaterials and Devices Laboratory and project manager for the Agency .