ArcelorMittal and Bekaert Group’s Brazilian wire joint venture is testing the production of a pulley for steel drawing equipment through a 3D printer at its Contagem plant in Minas Gerais state of Brazil. The project has been developed with CIT Senai Innovation and Technology Center and its prototype can be printed in 24 hours using the Mada process, Additive Manufacturing by Arc Deposition. Based on a three-dimensional model created on the computer, and using high quality steel wire, it was possible to reach a result that presents the same technical specifications of the part made by the conventional method. The Mada process employs a new approach to the manufacture of parts, with cost reductions and other advantages. In comparison with other traditional processes for the manufacture of parts, already established, Mada improves competitiveness and generates new approaches to the manufacturing chain as a whole.The project aims to quickly print specific, single-use steel parts or products that usually would take days to produce. Using a high-quality steel wire and a computer tridimensional model, it successfully printed a product with the same technical specifications as if it had produced it the conventional way. It will be tested by Belgo Bekaert itself, at the Contagem plant, in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte.Since 2016 Belgo Bekaert has invested in research and 3D printing projects that use steel wire as raw material. In conjunction with the Federal University of Uberlandia UFU, Belgo Bekaert has already carried out a survey of the physical and metallurgical properties of a wide range of wires intended for 3D printing. The first steel part printed by this technique in Brazil was developed with Belgo wire for Petrobras, in partnership with the Federal University of Uberlandia, consolidating the potential for developing products with high resistance.
ArcelorMittal and Bekaert Group’s Brazilian wire joint venture is testing the production of a pulley for steel drawing equipment through a 3D printer at its Contagem plant in Minas Gerais state of Brazil. The project has been developed with CIT Senai Innovation and Technology Center and its prototype can be printed in 24 hours using the Mada process, Additive Manufacturing by Arc Deposition. Based on a three-dimensional model created on the computer, and using high quality steel wire, it was possible to reach a result that presents the same technical specifications of the part made by the conventional method. The Mada process employs a new approach to the manufacture of parts, with cost reductions and other advantages. In comparison with other traditional processes for the manufacture of parts, already established, Mada improves competitiveness and generates new approaches to the manufacturing chain as a whole.The project aims to quickly print specific, single-use steel parts or products that usually would take days to produce. Using a high-quality steel wire and a computer tridimensional model, it successfully printed a product with the same technical specifications as if it had produced it the conventional way. It will be tested by Belgo Bekaert itself, at the Contagem plant, in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte.Since 2016 Belgo Bekaert has invested in research and 3D printing projects that use steel wire as raw material. In conjunction with the Federal University of Uberlandia UFU, Belgo Bekaert has already carried out a survey of the physical and metallurgical properties of a wide range of wires intended for 3D printing. The first steel part printed by this technique in Brazil was developed with Belgo wire for Petrobras, in partnership with the Federal University of Uberlandia, consolidating the potential for developing products with high resistance.
