Study on Direct Energy Depostion
A technology study on Direct Energy Deposition.
Study description
Direct Energy Deposition (DED) technologies have been used in coating applications for many decades. Over the recent decade, many different variants have been introduced into the market and created tremendous interest. Mostly, the different principles are based on traditional joining technologies, such as laser or arc welding, that now allow production in a third dimension.
AMPOWER conducted a technology study on Direct Energy Deposition to provide an overview on the status quo and answer several key questions. Firstly, how will DED disrupt today’s metal AM technologies? Secondly, how can customers profit from the new technologies? And thirdly, what type of new business cases will be enabled through DED?
In order to answer these questions, the study analyzed 9 different DED technology principles from 15 machine vendors. The technology principles included WAAM, Resistance Welding, Powder Laser Deposition and Coldspray from companies such as DIGITAL ALLOYS, DMG, GEFERTEC and SPEE3D.
Study results
AMPOWER conducted all analyses in the study, which was completed at the end of 2019. The study results provide deep dives into the process chain, from design to finished part, cost structure for investment and raw material, as well as an outlook on scaling and physical limitations. On the engineering side, the empirical analysis gives insights into the mechanical properties, surface roughness, density and microstructure, as well as design possibilities and restrictions. The material focus was stainless steel and titanium alloys.
The analysis showed that each variant of DED technology has its sweet spot that needs to be well understood. Only then will the technology enable new business cases. However, at the same time the physical boundaries have to be known and considered when choosing the specific production method. Moreover, the maturity of the technology plays a role when developing suitable applications.