ORNL, Lincoln Electric to advance large-scale metal additive manufacturing technology

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 8, 2019–Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ: LECO) announced their continued collaboration on large-scale, robotic additive manufacturing technology at the Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing InnovationXLab Summit. The new agreement builds upon ORNL and Lincoln Electric’s previous developments by extending additive technology to new materials, leveraging data analytics and enabling rapid manufacture of metal components in excess of 100 pounds per hour.

These developments will focus on increasing throughput while lowering costs and improving the quality of large-scale additively manufactured metallic structures essential for multiple industrial applications.

“Working with Lincoln Electric is an important step in advancing manufacturing in the U.S.,” ORNL Associate Laboratory Director for Energy and Environmental Science Moe Khaleel said. “Approximately 60-80% of molds for the manufacturing of metallic components are produced overseas. With this new collaboration, U.S. manufacturers will be able to showcase their ability to manufacture tools, dies and molds additively with reduced costs and lead times while maintaining speed and a quality build.”

“We have successfully partnered with the Manufacturing Demonstration Team at ORNL over the last three years to develop industry-leading metal additive technologies,” said Tom Matthews, Lincoln Electric senior vice president for technology and R&D. “Together, we will continue to advance the technical boundaries of additive manufacturing as Lincoln Electric commercializes this innovative manufacturing capability, which will benefit a broad array of manufacturing sectors.”

The Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL is supported by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO). AMO supports early-stage research to advance innovation in U.S. manufacturing and promote American economic growth and energy security.

Lincoln Electric is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment and has a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Lincoln has 60 manufacturing locations, including operations and joint ventures in 19 countries and a worldwide network of distributors and sales offices covering more than 160 countries. For more information about Lincoln Electric and its products and services, visit the Company’s website at http://www.lincolnelectric.com

ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE’s Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit https://science.energy.gov.