BLT (Bright Laser Technologies) showcases its turnkey solutions for metal additive manufacturing at Formnext 2023. BLT introduces the industrial metal 3D printing machine BLT-S400, and its automatic powder circulation system. Furthermore, BLT demonstrates its exceptional applications across various industries and introduce its self-developed materials.

Figure 1: BLT Booth at Formnext 2023 (1)

Figure 2: BLT Booth at Formnext 2023 (2)

Figure 2: BLT Booth at Formnext 2023 (3)

Global Launch of the BLT-S400 Machine

The BLT-S400’s three-laser configuration makes it suitable for high-volume production of industrial parts. Customers with high-volume production need to experience a relatively high time cost when utilizing Metal 3D printing. BLT’s focus is to find ways of reducing delivery time and minimizing labor costs while ensuring the utmost quality of the production part. With the introduction of the BLT-S400, these concerns are effectively alleviated for our clients.

With its configuration of 3 lasers, the BLT-S400 boosts production efficiency, making it an ideal choice for mass production of small and middle-size components. The global official launch date of BLT-S400 is November 7.

 Figure 4: BLT-S400

Global Launch of BLT-Automatic Powder Circulation System

The BLT-S400’s new Automatic Powder Circulation System ensures the safe transfer, recovery, sieving, and reuse of metal powders within an on-site test laboratory. Thus, the system facilitates the seamless and secure transfer of large volumes of 3D printing powders from containers to multiple machines, eliminating the risk of spillage contamination, explosion, and contact with workers. It’s important to mention that the BLT-automatic powder circulation system can support multiple 3D printing machines, offering a more cost-effective investment option that can significantly enhance production efficiency.

Figure 5:  BLT-S400 and its Powder Circulation System

Diverse Types of Innovative 3D Printed Parts Across Various Fields

BLT brings dozens of exhibits for aviation, aerospace, mold, medical, electronics, and other applications. Meanwhile, the latest exhibits are unveiled for the first time on-site.

One of the most attractive exhibits is the Intermediate Compressor Cas, which is a crucial load-bearing component for aviation engines. This part is made from titanium alloy material, with external dimensions of Φ1350mm×205mm, and a wall thickness of about 2mm. The design features a self-forming reinforcing rib structure on the surface to ensure strength while reducing weight. The part is an example of the BLT-S1500 (a newly released metal 3D printer that features 26 lasers and a build volume of 1500mm × 1500mm × 1200mm (W × D × H).)’s combination of production capacity and build size, which is geared towards the manufacture of singular large and complex parts, and rapid mass production of small and medium-sized parts.

Figure 6: Intermediate Compressor Case (1)

Figure 7: Intermediate Compressor Case (2)

Figure 8: Intermediate Compressor Case

BLT also shows a thrust chamber injector for Beijing Star Glory Space Science & Technology Company’s (i-Space) 100-ton liquid oxygen methane engine, known as “JD-2.” The JD-2 achieved a significant milestone by successfully completing two semi-system joint tests under real operating conditions. which completes real medium semi-system joint tests. The injector includes multiple long and short fuel nozzles with intricate features, which were produced on the BLT-S600 using BLT’s in-house developed superalloy BLT-Inconel 718. Its size is φ524mm×190mm and it weighs 56.7 kg. Compared to traditional processes, using 3D printing technology for processing provides high integration, lower process difficulty, shorter production cycles, and lower cost. (Cost can be reduced by approximately 30%; the traditional process for the injector involves over 300 parts and takes 8 months to manufacture, while 3D printing can be completed in 3-4 months)

Figure 9:  Thrust Chamber Injector 

At this exhibition, BLT also showcases 3D-printed components in industries such as molds, energy, and shoe molds, demonstrating BLT’s new material development and support-free solutions.

Full Launches of BLT’s Self-developed BLTM powders

BLT has over 10 powder production lines with more than 400 tons of yearly capacity, mainly focusing on producing Titanium and Inconel Alloy family powders. It can help customers achieve the whole process service of powder trial production, small batch preparation, verification of printing application, mass production, and so on. Additionally, BLT provides customized services to meet the specific requirements of our users for various powder products. At Formnext, BLT brings powders including pure titanium and titanium alloy, as well as the exhibits made of the above materials.

Figure 10:  BLT Powder

Enhancing Production Efficiency through In-House Software: BLT-BP and BLT-MES

BLT-BP is a dedicated 3D printing slicing software tool for BLT AM systems. With an intuitive workflow and easy navigation, it has significantly improved the slicing efficiency for parts that are numerous, large in size, and have complex structures. Even for parts with a substantial 25G data volume, the required profiling time is merely 30 minutes. Furthermore, the BLT-BP has a dynamic powder laying strategy that adapts powder fusion speed to the part contour, enabling multi-stage automatic speed adjustments. This approach ensures both quality and efficiency. Typical parts experience a notable 30% improvement in single-layer efficiency compared to the conventional method.

Besides BLT-BP，BLT proudly integrates its advanced series of printing machines and systems (available for all BLT 20 models of AM machines) with the cutting-edge BLT-MES 2.0, a proprietary, self-developed intelligent production line management system. Distinguished as an industry trailblazer, BLT-MES 2.0 represents a groundbreaking achievement by establishing seamless data IoT connectivity between the planning and execution tiers within the additive manufacturing landscape. This visionary system offers comprehensive end-to-end digital manufacturing solutions, encompassing product management, project planning, intelligent scheduling, manufacturing execution, data IoT integration, statistical dashboards, online reporting, and more. In doing so, BLT-MES 2.0 spearheads the dawn of a ‘mass-production era’ in metal additive manufacturing, bestowing unparalleled digital empowerment upon this dynamic sector.

Figure 11:  BLT-MES and BLT-BP