On March 17, 2025, BLT will globally unveil its metal additive manufacturing automated production line solution—BRIGHTENLINES—at the TCT ASIA 2025 exhibition. The production line unit was installed at BLT’s Xi’an headquarters production base in June 2024 and has been operating continuously for nine months.
Against the backdrop of continuously evolving industrial production demands, traditional single-machine setups are increasingly inadequate in meeting the stringent requirements for efficiency and cost-effectiveness in metal additive manufacturing. In response to market trends and industry challenges, BLT has deeply integrated automation technology and intelligent control systems to connect previously fragmented production processes, resulting in a smart production system with strong production capacity and continuous operation capabilities.
The BLT automated production line unit integrates eight printing devices and includes a master control module, powder circulation module, material handling module, powder cleaning module, substrate disassembly module, and waste recycling module. It covers key stages of metal 3D printing and offers the industry a brand-new mass production solution.
Innovative Printing System for More Efficient and Higher-Quality Manufacturing
The production line is equipped with printing systems utilizing PBF-LB/M technology, integrating innovative functions such as automatic build plate leveling, automatic powder recoating and inspection, automated printing, and automatic build chamber cleaning to ensure efficient and stable operation. By employing distance measurement technology, the printing systems automatically locate the printing plane, significantly reducing positioning time. This approach also minimizes uncertainties associated with manual intervention, enabling more precise platform positioning and higher consistency in mass production quality.
The equipment features various one-click functions to reduce preparation time. During the printing process, it supports intelligent operations such as bidirectional dynamic powder recoating, automatic recoating monitoring and correction, as well as real-time process monitoring and closed-loop control. These capabilities continuously push the limits of printing efficiency and quality.
Closed-Loop Powder Management for a Sustainable Production Environment
The powder circulation module of BLT’s automated production line consists of a central powder station, powder transport modules, and transfer pipelines, establishing an efficient “one-to-many” powder circulation system. With a powder transfer rate of up to 4L/min, it meets the high-efficiency production demands of mass-scale equipment.
During the printing process, the system automatically handles powder supply, recovery, and sieving. Upon completion, it reclaims and sieves the powder from the powder dumping and cleaning modules. The sieved powder is then reused by the printing equipment, forming a closed-loop powder management system.
In terms of powder management, the BLT automated production line adopts a fully enclosed design, with all powder handling processes conducted under argon gas protection. The highly automated powder circulation system significantly reduces manual intervention, lowering labor costs and minimizing operator exposure to powder. This approach aligns with the modern manufacturing industry’s demands for high efficiency and environmental sustainability. Furthermore, the efficient powder recycling system helps reduce operational costs and substantially decreases the capital investment required for production line infrastructure.
Precision Robotic Handling for High-Efficiency Production Line Operation
The robotic handling module plays a critical role in the production line by automatically performing tasks such as loading and unloading build cylinders, designated movements, and other transfer operations.
Equipped with a high-precision positioning system, BLT’s robotic handler ensures smooth and stable docking. For example, during build cylinder replacement, the module quickly removes the used cylinder and installs a new one, allowing the printing equipment to promptly begin the next job. This significantly increases production turnover efficiency and reduces machine idle time.
The BLT automated production line utilizes a rail-based robotic system that operates with high stability, further ensuring consistent performance and forming accuracy of the printing equipment. The handling system also incorporates vision recognition technology to automatically detect and avoid obstacles, preventing collisions and enhancing operational safety.
Integrated Intelligent Powder Cleaning for Streamlined Substrate Handling
Upon completion of printing, the system automatically detects that the printer has finished its task. The robotic handler then removes the build cylinder and transfers it to the post-processing module, where powder dumping, cleaning, new substrate installation, and inspection are carried out in sequence.
During the powder dumping phase, the majority of unmelted powder in the build cylinder is inverted, poured out, and recycled into the powder circulation system. In the powder cleaning stage, a dedicated robotic handler separates the substrate with the printed part from the build cylinder. Using a combination of rotation, inversion, vibration, and tapping actions, the cleaning equipment thoroughly removes residual powder from both internal and external surfaces of the part. The recovered powder is then returned to the sieving station for reuse.
Meanwhile, the robotic handler transports the separated build cylinder to the substrate installation platform, where a new substrate is mounted and inspected to ensure the cylinder meets the requirements for the next printing cycle. The qualified build cylinder is then stored in the new cylinder area. The robotic handler subsequently returns to the powder cleaning module, precisely transfers the cleaned part to the part placement area, and awaits further handling in subsequent processes.
Integrated Smart Process Control for a Highly Centralized Production System
The BLT automated production line enables end-to-end intelligent management through a centralized monitoring platform, establishing a highly integrated surveillance and control system. Equipped with multiple online monitoring cameras, the line consolidates the operational status of all modules onto a smart dashboard. Animations and live video feeds provide an intuitive display of production status, enhancing both the human-machine interaction experience and operational transparency.
The integrated control mode allows operators to switch between the control interfaces of various line units directly from the central control module screen, eliminating the need for frequent movement between equipment. This enables quick response to abnormal situations, ensuring stable, controllable, and highly efficient production operations.
Flexible Production Architecture for Forward-Looking Business Enablement
The BLT automated production line solution demonstrates high flexibility and adaptability in both layout and production capacity. The rail-based robotic handling module offers diverse layout possibilities, allowing companies to add printing equipment or other modules based on their specific capacity needs for customized configurations. The printing devices also support model replacement according to different parts and mass production requirements, meeting the diversified and complex manufacturing tasks and ensuring the scalability for future business growth.
Currently, the BLT automated production line is suitable for batch production of small parts, with potential future expansion into sectors such as aerospace, medical, and automotive to enable intelligent large-part manufacturing. BLT will continue to deepen its technological development, introduce diversified automated production solutions, and progressively advance toward the realization of true “lights-out factories,” ushering metal 3D printing into a more efficient and intelligent era.
