Content produced in collaboration with Farsoon and published in October 2023 ahead of Formnext 2023. Equipment, installations and results refer to the examples reported at that time.
For Formnext 2023, where the company announced its presence in Hall 11.1 at Booth C11, Farsoon presented metal additive manufacturing applications developed with customers. The laser powder bed fusion system manufacturer highlighted three needs observed among its users: producing large-format parts, comparing costs with conventional processes and developing series production of consumer goods.
These observations reflect Farsoon’s experience with its customers rather than a comprehensive market survey. Moving from prototypes to end-use parts and series puts yield, unit cost and factory integration at the centre of discussions. According to the company, some projects require build volumes, optical systems, scanning strategies or parameters tailored to materials and applications.
The “Open for Industry” approach
Farsoon describes its “Open for Industry” approach as giving users access to key machine parameter sets through an integrated editor. The aim is to support material- or application-specific development. Access to settings still requires parameters, repeatability and part quality to be validated for each need.
The offering described has three elements: customizable machine configurations developed with industrial partners; tailored services, local support and training; and a cost-to-performance balance suited to series production. These are supplier objectives, with economic outcomes dependent on the application and production chain.
Deep Blue Aerospace: shortening a combustion-chamber build
In 2022, Deep Blue Aerospace invested in a Farsoon FS621M system to explore rocket-engine component manufacturing. Its stated build envelope is 620 × 620 × 1,100 mm. The example concerns a single-piece Inconel combustion chamber measuring 780 mm high and 550 mm in diameter.
Part size, functional integration and internal details were among the challenges. Design opportunities include lightweight structures and internal cooling ribs and channels. These geometries alone do not demonstrate improved engine efficiency, which needs evaluation in its operating context.
Farsoon reports an initial printing time of 327 hours on the four-laser system. In 2023, its teams worked with Deep Blue Aerospace on the “Olympic” project to increase speed while targeting the required quality. The reported work covered machine adaptations, parameters, scanning strategies, powder recoating and machine control.
The reported printing time after optimization is 96.5 hours. Compared with the stated 327 hours, this is a reduction of approximately 70.5%, or a build time divided by 3.39. These figures concern Farsoon’s reported case: they do not necessarily measure the full cycle including preparation and post-processing, and are not an independent validation of every part property.
Borton Precision: aligning conventional and additive manufacturing
Borton Precision Technology develops moulds and tooling, including for vaping products. The services described include conformal cooling-channel and vent design, mould-flow simulation, additive manufacturing, heat treatment and finishing. In 2021, following several years of metal AM use, the company adopted five dual-laser FS273M systems.
For this tooling, printing is one step among several. Transferring between operations requires repositioning and alignment, particularly where channels must join. The case describes an alignment tolerance below 0.1 mm; this is not a universal value for every mould.
The Automatic Alignment solution combines in-chamber cameras with visual analysis to identify the base outline and channels. It positions the section to be printed on the existing component. Farsoon reports about four minutes for alignment, compared with several hours of previous manual work, with reported accuracy below 0.05 mm. The four minutes do not describe the complete mould-manufacturing cycle.
In its application account, the supplier also reports a 70% improvement in manufacturing efficiency and a 69% reduction in powder cost. These percentages need to be read within that example’s conditions. A powder saving is not the same percentage saving on a part’s total cost.
Futai Technology: customizing golf-club heads
Futai Technology, which specializes in titanium-alloy research and additive manufacturing, produces sports equipment, particularly for golf. The 2023 account describes seven medium-sized Farsoon systems, including FS200M and FS273M, and more than 15,000 printed club heads for markets such as Japan, Korea, Europe and the United States. No specific production period accompanies that volume, so it should not be interpreted as a monthly or annual rate.
Farsoon highlights customized shapes, lightweighting and integrated lattice structures. Geometry intended to influence sound is also part of the example. Durability and performance benefits are supplier descriptions; the account does not provide an independent test protocol allowing them to be generalized to all golf equipment.
Considering costs across the process chain
The three examples illustrate the value of adapting the system and process to an application. Material consumption needs consideration alongside machine time, energy, upstream operations and finishing. Lower powder use can contribute to resource management, but it does not automatically demonstrate an equivalent carbon-emissions reduction, which requires broader assessment.
Farsoon offers to develop these solutions with industrial partners. Contact: wehelpyou@farsoon-eu.com.
This content was produced in collaboration with Farsoon. Reported figures come from the examples supplied by the company in 2023.
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