Leam offers a modular heating and sensing system for large‑format polymer additive manufacturing that surrounds the extrusion nozzle with ring‑shaped visible‑spectrum emitters and 360° camera arrays. The emitters provide responsive, overlapping illumination to actively heat the melt pool, while the cameras continuously measure temperatures of both the incoming material and the printed part, enabling real‑time closed‑loop control of heating, cooling, and feed rate. Because the light is fully within the visible spectrum, the system meets wire‑arc welding safety standards, eliminating the need for costly laser safety enclosures and simplifying integration into existing LFAM equipment.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Large-format polymer additive manufacturing (LFAM) struggles with inconsistent layer bonding due to uncontrolled temperature variations, limited heating precision, and the need for costly laser safety infrastructure. These issues lead to part defects, reduced productivity, and complex integration into existing production lines.
Solution
LEAM provides a modular, visible‑spectrum heating and sensing system that encircles the extrusion nozzle with ring arrays of emitters and cameras. The emitters deliver responsive, overlapping illumination to actively heat the melt pool, while the cameras continuously measure the temperature of both incoming material and the printed part from all directions. This data feeds back to the machine controller to adjust feed rate, localized heating, and cooling in real time, maintaining constant layer temperatures without manual intervention. Because the light is fully within the visible spectrum, safety requirements are comparable to standard wire‑arc welding, eliminating the need for expensive laser safety cells and simplifying integration into existing LFAM equipment.
Target Audience
Primary customers are manufacturers of large‑format polymer additive‑manufacturing machines and end‑users seeking to improve layer bonding, part quality, and productivity in industrial LFAM production environments.
Features
- Ring‑shaped modular emitter arrays with overlapping spots, scalable from 0.6 mm to >50 mm extrusion widths
- 360° camera ring providing continuous dual‑temperature measurement of melt pool and substrate
- Real‑time closed‑loop control of heating, cooling, and feed‑rate based on temperature feedback
- Inherently safe visible‑spectrum emitters, meeting wire‑arc welding safety standards, no laser safety enclosure required
- Open communication standards and standalone HMI for easy integration with any machine controller or OEM system
- Spatial data logging of temperature and tool position, generating 3D point clouds for defect analysis and quality assurance
- Compatibility with Siemens Industrial Edge for edge computing, data aggregation, and factory‑floor analytics