Wednesday, 12 May 2021
As soon as the Wayland team approached us and explained what the Calibur3 machine was capable of, we were keen to get stuck in! We’re a team of technical engineers and designers so it was a real pleasure figuring out how to build an enclosure for Wayland’s ground-breaking Calibur machine range.
As Calibur3 contains electron-beam based technology hot enough to melt metal powder, it is reasonable enough to assume that safety is the primary consideration for the enclosure. Beyond this however, a lot of hard work and thought went into its design, merging the required health and safety considerations with an ergonomic aesthetic, optimised functionality, ease of maintenance, and branding.
Amcanu designed and built a totally bespoke enclosure to optimise the performance of the innovative AM manufacturing equipment housed inside. The modular design enables gradual assembly to give Wayland greater build flexibility – sections can be sub-assembled to fit specific end-user build programmes.
The enclosure is designed with lift-off doors and hatches to enable easy access to all major components. Each part is easy to remove and replace if damaged, and customers are supplied with a technical manual with exploded views and numbered parts, which means they can easily order and replace panels themselves, including all surface panels, corner posts, doors, and access hatches.
The distinctive curved edges, and careful use of colour soften the appearance of the large Calibur3 metal enclosure, giving it a sleek, modern appearance. The quality and workmanship complements the cutting-edge technology it protects, allowing it to fit seamlessly into a high-spec advanced manufacturing environment.
The enclosure is finished using a high quality and robust electrostatic powder-coating process, ensuring durability over time. Using a combination of different cutting-edge technologies the surface is chip and scratch resistant, and significantly tougher than a traditional paint finish.
Will Richardson, CEO from Wayland Additive said: “Having spent so much time working with the Wayland team on the nuts and bolts of the NeuBeam technology that is housed inside the Calibur3 system, it was extremely refreshing to focus on the look, feel, and functionality of the enclosure with Amcanu. After all, the enclosure would be the first thing any prospective customer would see. Our metal AM technology is a next-generation technology, truly ground-breaking because it opens up a broader range of metal AM industrial applications for our customers, so it became extremely important for us to use an enclosure that reflected this.”
The level of interest following the virtual launch in March has been impressive. It looks like the Calibur3 is set to be a huge success, and we’re looking forward to more feedback on the enclosure following the live launch at the end of May.
To say we are delighted with the result is an understatement, and we feel that the team at Amcanu has perfectly balanced the requirements for safety, ease-of-use, maintenance, and aesthetics in an extraordinary way.
