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While laser metal additive manufacturing has clear benefits there are still a number of factors preventing the technology from being fully adopted for industrial manufacturing. These factors include; the high cost of laser additive manufacturing systems, the unique Human Machine Interface (HMI) making it difficult for users to learn and operate metal 3D printers, the long part qualification and certification approval process, and the need for better process controls, however reducing the cost barrier is paramount. In this presentation information will be provided on an America Makes funded program to combine laser metal additive technology with legacy CNC machine tools. Information will be presented on how an Optomec led team retrofitted a 1990s vintage Fadal Vertical Mill with a LENS Print Engine enabling metal additive and metal subtractive operations to be performed on the same part, and on the same machine tool. A roadmap for further enhancement of Hybrid machining technology will also be presented.

Optomec is evolving the world of additive manufacturing by enabling new dimensions in 3D printing. The LENS and Aerosol Jet families of printers support a range of materials for metals, 3D printed electronics and other applications, and are able to implement feature sizes never before possible.