GE uses NUBURU for blue laser metal 3D printing

Since first entering the additive manufacturing industry, blue laser manufacturer NUBURU has steadily introduced its technology to various original equipment manufacturers. The latest is GE Additive, with which the company has signed a joint technical agreement to study the speed, accuracy and commercial benefits of using blue lasers for metal 3D printing.

"As we continue to advance our proprietary blue laser technology, we further increase the power and brightness to open up new applications," said Dr. Mark Zediker, CEO and co-founder of NUBURU. "We have achieved key performance milestones that open up new possibilities for significant advances in metal 3D printing." "Working with GE Additive, and their expertise in metal additive manufacturing, will allow us to quickly optimize our innovative regional printing approach." This will accelerate the further expansion of our pioneering blue lasers into innovative metal 3D printing solutions that have the potential to change the landscape of military logistics. Aerospace manufacturing; Medical device manufacturing and so on.

"As an industry leader in metal 3D printing and a leader in qualified parts for regulated industries, we are excited to evaluate NUBURU Blue Industrial laser technology and its benefits," said Chris Schuppe, general manager of Engineering and Technology at GE Additive.

NUBURU believes that Blu-ray technology, which combines a blue laser module with an optically conditioned system, offers greater efficiency for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) because the metal is able to absorb energy faster and lose less. In addition, the use of blue light opens up metals that may be easier to 3D print than traditional lasers, including copper.

GE Additive is already supporting NUBURU's previously announced AFWERX Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 2 contract, awarded in 2022. With this latest development, the company will provide NUBURU with PBF machines and the necessary expertise to integrate and characterize light engines to quantify any performance improvements in existing processes.

This is another step in NUBURU's entry into the AM space. As part of the aforementioned AFWERX SBIR, the company has developed a regional printing technology. While not explicitly described as comparable to Seurat's proprietary process, it is said to have the potential to scale up to 100 times faster than traditional PBF systems. The project's first machine was delivered to the Air Force in March. In addition, NUBURU has delivered a blue laser unit to Texas-based Essentium, with which it is developing a copper system for Directed Energy Deposition (DED) metal 2017D printing. It's already in. > Created a DED process that relies on blue lasers and Formalloy.

Source: Laser Network