Redefining Additive Manufacturing:
Insights from Alex Kingsbury and nLight’s Beam Shaping Revolution

NOVEMber 26, 2024 | Reading time: 5 min

 

In this episode of the Additive Snack Podcast, Alex Kingsbury joins host Fabian Alefeld to share her unique journey and deep-rooted expertise in additive manufacturing (AM).

 

Alex Kingsbury’s Background and Industry Experience

Alex, who currently leads nLight’s AM business, is no stranger to the 3D printing landscape. Her career began with a foundation in chemical engineering, which took her into the mining and oil industries as a process engineer. While there, Alex specialized in cost engineering — a skill that would later prove invaluable for evaluating the financial viability of innovative manufacturing methods like AM.

Alex's true entrance into the world of AM came through her work at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia's national science agency. CSIRO is known for pushing the boundaries of industrial research, and Alex was tasked with translating new scientific developments into commercially viable solutions.

Much of her work focused on using Australia’s abundant natural resources to create metal powders, which would eventually lead her into the growing field of metal AM. Working with various metal powders and testing their potential in powder metallurgy gave Alex firsthand insight into the materials aspect of AM. In 2011, she joined a project utilizing metal additive technologies, including an Arcam EBM machine, which marked her first hands-on experience with a metal printer.

After several successful projects at CSIRO, Alex became an industry fellow at RMIT University, balancing her role as a bridge between academia and industry. Her drive for innovation and expertise in both research and practical application made her the ideal candidate for a leadership role at nLight, a U.S.-based laser manufacturer. Her decision to join nLight was driven by two factors: the opportunity to work with a talented team and the chance to bring groundbreaking laser technologies into the AM sphere.

With over a decade of experience, Alex continues to advocate for advancements in AM, emphasizing that continuous learning and collaboration are essential for driving AM’s potential. Now, as a key figure at nLight, she is helping shape the future of AM through laser technology innovations, such as beam shaping, that promise to redefine production capabilities in industries worldwide.

 

The Role of nLight and the Potential of Beam Shaping in AM

In her role at nLight, Alex works on advancing laser technology specifically tailored to the demands of AM. nLight brings a unique approach to the industry with its vertically integrated structure, producing everything from semiconductor chips to complete laser subsystems. This setup enables the team to innovate quickly and design laser solutions optimized for specific applications. With its dual focus on commercial and defense sectors, nLight leverages advancements from defense applications, creating a “trickle-down” effect that helps bring high-performance technologies into commercial markets.

One of nLight’s most significant contributions to AM is its development of beam shaping technology, which has become a game-changer for precision manufacturing.

Traditional lasers in AM use Gaussian beam profiles — standard laser shapes that concentrate heat in a single point. In contrast, nLight’s beam shaping technology, specifically its AFX laser with a "ring-shaped" or “donut” profile, allows the energy to be distributed more evenly across the surface. This innovation creates a wider, more stable melt pool that minimizes material spatter and increases build consistency, which is essential for improving part quality in AM.

The benefits of beam shaping are particularly appealing for high-demand applications. Alex explains how this technology allows AM systems to achieve greater productivity by widening the laser’s effective coverage area, reducing build times without sacrificing quality. By offering control over beam shapes, nLight’s AFX laser enables manufacturers to adjust between more precise, detail-focused modes and high-speed, high-power settings suited for larger parts. This flexibility has made beam shaping particularly valuable in industries where both productivity and precision are critical, such as aerospace and defense.

Beam shaping opens new possibilities for AM in large-format and complex builds. As Alex highlights, nLight’s innovations bring a balance of speed and quality that expands the application potential of AM, allowing industries to leverage both traditional and additive methods for more comprehensive production solutions.

Challenges and Future of Beam Shaping and AM in General

While beam shaping technology is transformative, implementing it into existing systems presents unique challenges. Alex emphasizes that the successful adoption of this technology depends not only on hardware but also on sophisticated software capable of controlling and optimizing these advanced laser profiles. For beam shaping to reach its full potential, AM platforms must integrate seamlessly with nLight’s AFX lasers, which requires collaboration with OEMs to ensure that machines, optics, and software can support higher power levels and beam customization.

Another essential aspect of advancing beam shaping in AM is industry education. Because beam shaping technology is relatively new in the additive space, many users are unfamiliar with its benefits and application potential. nLight has taken proactive steps to bridge this knowledge gap, hosting seminars and user forums to introduce AM engineers and end users to beam shaping’s capabilities. By raising awareness and providing educational resources, nLight aims to help AM professionals understand how beam shaping can drive productivity, improve material properties, and open new application possibilities.

Looking ahead, Alex is excited about the next wave of innovations at nLight, including the release of its 2-kilowatt AFX laser. This advancement effectively doubles the power of previous models, allowing for even faster production speeds and broader applicability in high-demand industries like aerospace and industrial manufacturing. With beam shaping, the increased power capacity means wider melt pools, greater stability, and further enhanced build speeds, all without compromising the quality of the final part. Alex believes that as nLight continues to push boundaries in laser technology, beam shaping will become a standard feature in AM, driving a new era of high-speed, high-quality production.

For Alex, the future of AM lies in technologies like beam shaping that offer tangible improvements to productivity and part quality. By enabling larger builds, smoother production, and more reliable results, nLight’s laser advancements are setting the stage for a new generation of AM applications across multiple industries.

 

Conclusion

Alex Kingsbury’s appearance on the Additive Snack Podcast provides a fascinating look at how innovations like beam shaping are redefining the potential of additive manufacturing. Through her role at nLight, Alex is pioneering a technology that addresses AM’s critical challenges in productivity, quality, and consistency. With beam shaping, manufacturers gain the flexibility to produce high-quality parts faster and at larger scales, especially valuable in industries like aerospace, defense, and industrial manufacturing.

 

Connect with Alex Kingsbury and the Additive Snack Team