Oak Ridge National Laboratory has helped produce the first fully functional excavator that uses parts made through additive manufacturing, or 3D printing. The excavator is pictured above on Feb. 27, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory has helped produce the first fully functional excavator that uses parts made through additive manufacturing, or 3D printing.
The excavator, part of a working demonstration known as Project AME, was made in collaboration with ORNL partners in industry, government, and academia. The project helps showcase a range of industrial applications for 3D printing, ORNL said.
Additive manufacturing is the process used to build something one layer at a time. Rather than ink, 3D printers use polymers.
One of the most well-known examples is the Shelby Cobra car 3-D printed on a large-scale polymer printer at ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility in Hardin Valley. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden admired that vehicle—and joked about taking it for a spin—during a trip to East Tennessee in January 2015.
ORNL has been involved in other projects using 3D printing that have attracted attention, and the lab has posted photos of its 3D printed vehicles. You can see them here. [Read more…]
