Imagine shooting tiny metal beads at supersonic speeds using electricity, like a high-tech paint sprayer, so they stick together without needing to melt them. This avoids the massive heat and energy usually required for metal 3D printing. Instead of printing one tiny dot at a time, it can cover huge areas all at once.
Current metal 3D printing is too slow, too expensive in terms of energy, and limited in the size and types of materials it can use.
A system for electrostatic charging and acceleration of metal powders and multiscale computational models to simulate bonding efficiency.
If you are an aircraft component manufacturer dealing with slow build rates and high energy costs of laser printing — this project developed a solid state deposition process that uses electrostatic acceleration to increase deposition rates and scalability.
If you are a turbine producer dealing with limited material selection in additive manufacturing — this project developed a multi-material deposition method that allows for functional structures with unprecedented properties.
If you are a machine tool builder dealing with the 4 times higher energy consumption of LPBF processes — this project developed a cold spray system that bonds metal powders using kinetic energy instead of heat.
Based on available project data, current common techniques like LPBF consume almost 4 times more energy than conventional manufacturing; this project aims to reduce that burden by using a solid state process.
Yes, the project intends to pair multiple launchers to cover a theoretically unlimited surface, moving beyond the point-wise printing limits of current additive manufacturing.
Based on available project data, the project is in the early research and simulation phase (1st reporting period), so specific licensing terms are not yet defined.
The technology is designed for hybrid manufacturing and can be integrated as a disruptive deposition process to improve accuracy and flexibility over existing technologies.
The project is active from 2024-06-01 to 2028-05-31, indicating a multi-year development cycle from simulation to proof of concept.
The consortium is heavily academic, consisting of 5 partners from 4 countries (DE, IE, IT, LT). With 4 universities and 1 research organization, and 0% industry representation, the project is currently driven by scientific discovery rather than immediate commercial deployment.
Contact Politecnico di Milano regarding the MADECOLD project
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