Russian Scientists Develop AI-Enhanced 3D Printer for Industrial Metal Parts

The system can produce massive components up to eight tons while detecting and correcting defects in real time.

Engineers in St. Petersburg have created a unique 3D printer capable of producing giant metal parts weighing up to eight tons, while their counterparts in Nizhny Novgorod have equipped it with artificial intelligence to eliminate manufacturing defects. The machine, resembling a laser-cutting station, 'grows' parts from metal powder, producing items up to two meters in diameter from steel, aluminum, or nickel at a speed of 25 minutes per kilogram of material.

The printer features an intelligent quality control system developed in Nizhny Novgorod. It monitors key printing parameters in real time—current, voltage, and the degree of powder sintering. If the AI detects deviations that could cause a defect, it halts the process, removes the problematic layer, and resumes printing.

The St. Petersburg design already enables the creation of components impossible to manufacture by traditional methods—such as cooling contours for nuclear reactors with complex channel systems. The Nizhny Novgorod AI takes the process to perfection, minimizing risks.