Hybrid Manufacturing Hits the Big Time with the LASIMM
Additive manufacturing? Subtractive manufacturing? The truth is that, in many cases, the best way to make something isn’t to choose between them, but to use both. It’s called hybrid manufacturing. And it’s easier than ever now that the Large Additive Subtractive Integrated Modular Machine (LASIMM to its friends) is up and running and officially open for business in Pamplona, Spain.
Designed and created by a consortium of universities, research institutes, and companies, (including Autodesk, the project’s lead software partner) and funded by the European Horizon 2020 fund, the LASIMM features robotic systems capable of both wire arc additive manufacturing and advanced milling. Which means that the addition and subtraction can happen in the same place at almost the same time. And that means you can reduce manufacturing time and costs by 20%. Say goodbye to one-machine-one-task.
3DPrintingIndustry.com provides a recap of what LASIMM can do and how it came to be. Or you might have seen mention of it in 3DPrint.com or even on our own Redshift. In other words, this is big news. Capable of fabricating aluminum and steel parts up to six meters long from a CAD file, the system has already begun production. The next step will be commercialization of the system for deployment across Europe.
Related learning
Want to learn more about hybrid manufacturing? We thought you’d never ask.
How Large-Scale Hybrid Manufacturing Is Releasing the Possibilities in Architecture
Foster + Partners and Concrenetics were key partners in the development of the LASIMM system. In this AU London 2019 class, they explore the role this kind of large-scale hybrid manufacturing can play in architecture.
Bringing the Factory to the Construction Site
What if additive and subtractive capabilities were not only integrated into a single system, but that system was mobile? That’s the idea behind the Microfactory for Construction, a combo additive/subtractive system that fits inside a shipping container, enabling teams to fabricate bespoke building components at the construction site, then pick up and go when the project is completed.
Hybrid Manufacturing: Combining DED Additive and Subtractive Workflows Effectively
Diversified Machine Systems (DMS) Hybrid Machining Center brings together 5-axis additive and 5-axis subtractive machining, and James Donnelly and Jon Caliguri show us how you can use PowerMill to make the magic.
And that’s just skimming the surface. You can find many other classes, articles, and presentations on hybrid manufacturing at Autodesk University. When you’re ready to mix it up, we are, too.
