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22 December 2021

IREPA LASER builds XXL metallic part using Additive Manufacturing

IREPA LASER has built a 3D printed metallic mold more than 2 meters in height and in diameter, with a total weight of 1,200 kilograms. This XXL part was exhibited at Formnext, the leading 3D printing event, in Frankfurt in November 2021.

Over the past 3 years, IREPA LASER's objective has been to "develop a hybrid laser DED (Directed Energy Deposition) process adapted to the manufacture of large parts and to implement it on a very innovative machine. The purpose was to meet the needs of identified industry sectors with reduced costs and lead times", explains Jean-Paul Gaufillet, its President.

As a result, a collaboration between IREPA LASER and its partners VLM Robotics, Siemens and Janus Engineering led to a hybrid additive manufacturing solution associating 2 robots for powder and wire deposition. The machine integrates a multi-robot system from VLM Robotics, where the 17 axes are numerically controlled with a solution engineered by Siemens. Innovative laser deposition systems CLAD®-pw (powder and wire) have been developed by IREPA LASER to enable a leading-edge process, resulting in the production of large custom-made parts with significant reductions in terms of lead times and material yield.

The part presented at Formnext is intended to produce wine tanks by rotational molding for the company Wine & Tools, specialised in innovative technologies for wine making. Thanks to this mold, Wine & Tools will create a dozen tanks with personalised design that will allow wineries to design their own collections of tanks. A collective achievement that opens new perspectives on the market of XXL metal parts for the food industry.


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