Fives Landis and AddUp, working together to design and 3D print a custom coolant nozzle
Fives Landis Corp., known worldwide for their leading-edge precision grinding systems, and AddUp a joint venture between Fives group and Michelin specializing in Metal Additive Manufacturing, worked together to design and 3-D print a custom coolant nozzle.
The custom nozzle design allows the flow position and shape to precisely match the challenging wheel geometry with less components in the assembly, while also providing optimum flow to the metal cutting zone in the grinding machine. This increases the machines performance and optimizes the grind cycle.
Using traditional production processes, fabricating this complex part is difficult and requires multiple pieces and ideal interior geometries are impossible to create. Metal additive manufacturing, also referred to as Metal 3-D Printing, allows this type of nozzle component to be realized from the 3-d digital design to the final metal part in only a few steps and in a matter of days, not weeks.
AddUp teams first started by laying out the part in the 3-D build preparation software, AddUp Manager, then developed the best manufacturing recipe for the print, including melt strategy and build orientation, before transferring the file to the AddUp FormUp 350 Powder Bed Fusion machine.
The nozzle is printed in stainless steel, using the AddUp FormUp 350 Powder Bed Fusion machine in only a few hours. In this machine, parts are made in successive horizontal layers. For each layer, metal powder is spread across the build plate and a laser melts the areas that need to be solidified.
Lastly, post processing operations including stress relief, wire EDM and bead blasting complete the part, making it ready for assembly on the grinding machine.
The FormUp 350 achieves up to 0.1 mm dimensional accuracy and 99.99% material density. This ensures accurate and repeatable part performance without failure.
The final result is a one-piece optimized coolant nozzle that accurately delivers coolant flow into precise locations, optimizing the performance of the machine.
Check out the video below: