Cummins Inc. Columbus Engine Plant (CEP) Additive

Cummins Inc. is an American, multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. MNA was hired to design a lab to permit Cummins Inc. to evaluate the use of binder jet additive manufacturing prior to full-scale production. This included the design of the lab and the design of the support utilities for the additive manufacturing (AM) equipment which included a binder jet printer, curing ovens, and sintering furnaces.

The lab would be installed in an existing control area that encompassed a significant area of the plant. Working with the client, MNA evaluated different metal powder options to determine which options could be used within the lab based on the restrictions of the existing control areas and hazardous materials used within these areas. This AM process also introduced materials and systems that created new hazards in the plant environment. MNA’s hazard analysis expertise supported Cummins Inc. in the completion of a dust hazard analysis (DHA) and process hazard analysis (PHA) used to identify potential hazards and mitigate solutions to limit the risk associated with each hazard.

The client wanted to maximize space and minimize obstructions to personnel in the movement of material/parts from one stage of the AM process to the next. In addition, several existing utilities above the lab required access to the facilities group to permit ongoing maintenance. Using design analysis, the best solution was to install a UL-H505 rated structure which closely met all these requirements. Additionally, to decrease the build-up of metal powder during use, MNA designed the construction of the lab and utilities routing to limit the number of horizontal surfaces.