15 May, 2026Renishaw has developed LIBERTAS, an advanced software package for metal additive manufacturing using LPBF (Laser Powder Bed Fusion) technology, capable of assigning dynamic laser parameters based on the geometry of each layer, with the aim of reducing or eliminating the need for support structures during manufacturing.
Support structures have traditionally been one of the main constraints of the LPBF process, as they increase material consumption, lengthen manufacturing times and require additional post-processing operations. LIBERTAS addresses this challenge through a layer-by-layer geometric analysis that automatically adjusts the laser power according to the amount of material present beneath each region of the part.
In areas with lower thermal dissipation capacity, such as downskin surfaces or overhangs, the software dynamically reduces the applied energy to prevent overheating and improve process stability. This strategy enables higher-quality surfaces and significantly expands the geometric limits that can be manufactured without supports, reducing the traditional critical angle from 45° to approximately 5° in certain configurations.
The technology is applicable to various metallic materials, utilising a common geometric analysis algorithm whilst adapting the process parameters to the specific thermal and absorption properties of each alloy.
En aplicaciones dentales, especialmente en prótesis craneomaxilofaciales y estructuras en CrCo, LIBERTAS ha demostrado reducciones significativas tanto en tiempo de fabricación como en volumen de soportes y operaciones de postprocesado. Además, la solución resulta especialmente relevante en sectores como el aeroespacial, donde modificar el diseño original de un componente puede requerir largos procesos de validación y certificación.
