ProjectPAMPROD

Metal additive manufacturing is gradually establishing itself as a key technology for the design and production of complex, lightweight and optimised parts. It addresses major challenges in the aerospace, automotive and energy sectors.

However, its large-scale industrialisation is still held back by several limitations:

• insufficient productivity for large parts
• still limited control of defects during manufacturing
• complex integration into automated industrial environments
• lack of hybrid solutions capable of combining several processes

Against this background, the PAMPROD project aims to develop a hybrid multi-technology machine capable of producing large metal parts at high throughput, while guaranteeing quality, repeatability and fewer defects.

This project also addresses the challenges of the S3 Alsace strategy, in particular:

• More resource-efficient and higher-performance machine tools
• Sustainable transport and lightweight structures
• Reducing the environmental impact of industrial production

36-month project, from January 2019 to January 2021

The PAMPROD project aims to develop a complete industrial solution for hybrid additive manufacturing.

Its main objectives are to:

• Design a hybrid multi-technology additive manufacturing machine
• Increase the productivity of metal manufacturing processes
• Reduce manufacturing defects and improve part quality
• Enable the manufacture of complex, large parts
• Integrate repair and surface functionalisation capabilities
• Optimise processes for robust and reproducible industrialisation

IREPA LASER acts as a leading scientific and technological driver of the project, playing a central role in modelling, process development and industrial validation.

Process modelling and simulation (Work Package 4 – led by IREPA LASER)

IREPA LASER develops advanced models to:

• simulate wire- and powder-based processes
• predict the overall behaviour of manufactured parts
• couple simulation and instrumentation to create feedback loops
• analyse the impact of heat treatments on the final geometry

Process development and optimisation (Work Package 5 – led by IREPA LASER)

The work aims to:

• adapt existing processes to high-productivity requirements
• optimise additive manufacturing parameters
• ensure efficient integration into the hybrid machine

Prototyping and industrial validation (Work Package 9 – led by IREPA LASER)

IREPA LASER carries out industrial validation through:

• the manufacture of large-scale demonstrators
• the assessment of processes and post-treatments
• the economic analysis of the solutions developed
• the drafting of design guidelines for industry

The PAMPROD project is based on a complementary industrial and academic consortium:

• APERAM – Overall coordination and materials development
• PRODWAYS – Machine design and industrialisation
• IREPA LASER – Modelling, processes and industrial validation
• ESTIA – System integration, robotisation and interfacing
• Institut Jean Lamour – Characterisation of materials and interfaces
• SUPRATEC – Process monitoring and control

• Total project cost: €1,986,437.50
• FEDER (ERDF) funding: €759,406.00
• Co-funding Région Grand Est + FEDER: S3 Alsace scheme

The PAMPROD project delivers major industrial benefits for metal additive manufacturing.

Industrialisation of additive manufacturing

The hybrid machine marks a step forward towards faster, more stable and more automated production.

Improved part quality

Reducing defects and introducing monitoring significantly improve component reliability.

Reduced environmental impact

Less scrap, lower material consumption and energy-optimised processes.

Applications in sustainable transport

The parts produced are lighter and higher-performing, helping to reduce vehicle energy consumption.

Building a complete industrial value chain

The project covers the entire chain:

• materials
• machine
• processes
• simulation
• monitoring
• industrial validation