Croft Additive Manufacturing Ltd (add on to 131850)

Metal additive manufacturing(AM creates complex 3D components without tooling at near net shape. However the surface of the AM part is not smooth-it is uneven and the part is produced slightly oversize. To meet pharmaceutical and food industry polish finish standards and highly defined engineering tolerances mechanical finishing processes must be developed. Machining might manage external surfaces, but internal features and internal recesses of complex AM parts must also be finished. This project aims to address these problems by 1) design and construction of a novel flow abrasion process without tooling and labour. 2) Using new combinations of different abrasion media in a rotating process we aim to bring the near net shape AM parts to the required tolerance and finish. 3) removing internal build supports by abrasive techniques allowing for more complex parts to be built. The development of these innovative processes to enable the delivery of the required polish finishes and tolerances will increase acceptance of AM parts, generating increased sales and further employment while supporting UK manufacturing through the adoption of this versatile manufacturing process.