Productivity is the most significant issue in Additive Manufacturing. The machines are expensive and depreciation costs are the major factor in the cost of parts produced. Maximising the output of the equipment is the best way to drive down costs per part. As part costs come down, the range of applications addressable with Additive Manufacturing increases. 

ArcelorMittal has, for its traditional steel-making operations, built a significant expertise in solving complex multi-variant problems. Addressing the complexities of the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology, the company has adapted some of this knowledge into an optimisation algorithm to maximise laser up-time, minimising printing time. 

AdamIQ™ algorithmic optimisation happens as a final step of build preparation. All build job parameters and configuration should be prepared and frozen by the customer (printer) in their version of the build job. The AdamIQ™ optimisation is an add-on that improves the customer’s build job in a single pass. A few minutes of re-vectorisation can save hours of printing time. 

Addimen, a company specialized in professional 3D printing of high value-added parts, was a beta-tester of this optimisation service offered by ArcelorMittal Powders and was able to confirm productivity gains on a first series of commercial parts.