The University of North Texas (UNT) has invested in and installed a MELD metal additive manufacturing (AM) machine. The university's new B8 model MELD machine will allow researchers to explore a variety of materials and use cases for metal AM.
"The use of existing alloys in materials such as aluminum, magnesium and titanium is a unique attribute of the MELD machine. In comparison, other metal printing machines require specially formulated materials to be able to print, which can be costly," said a MELD spokesperson.
The B8 model has a three cubic foot 12"/305 mm x 12"/305 mm x 36"/914 mm build area and can accommodate large parts for coatings and repairs. The machine can process multiple materials and has been designed for industry and academia alike.
"The B8 model machine was recently used in a demonstration to make the world's largest additively manufactured aluminum cylinder," said the spokesperson.
The university's research activities using the MELD process will be overseen by Dr. Rajiv Mishra. Dr. Mishra, Distinguished Research Professor of materials science and engineering, is an expert in the development of alloy microstructures and the processing of materials properties. Dr. Mishra also serves as Director of the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Processes Institute, as Director of the NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Friction Stir Processing and as Associate Editor at the Journal of Materials Processing Technology.
The machine is housed in a dedicated space located in the College of Engineering's new Discovery Park facility. With nearly 300 acres of space dedicated to the sciences, technology and engineering, Discovery Park supports interactive and multidisciplinary STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) research, education and training that benefits students, faculty and the community.
UNT is a student-focused public research university located in Denton, TX. Established in 1890, UNT is one of the nation's largest public research universities with more than 39,000 students and is ranked as a Tier 1 research university by the Carnegie Classification.
For more information contact:
University of North Texas
1155 Union Circle #311277
Denton, TX 76203
940-565-2000
www.unt.edu
MELD Manufacturing
200 Technology Drive
Christiansburg, VA 24073
540-951-3980
websales@meldmanufacturing.com
www.meldmanufacturing.com