Known for its ability to meet the requirements of demanding industries such as aerospace or drones, Industrial 3D printer manufacturer Farsoon now ambitions to go beyond these industries with its next generation of industrial 3D printers. The latter are large-format platforms that include the Flight® HT403P-2 Dual-laser, the Flight® HT1001P-2 system, the Farsoon FS421M machine as well as the large-frame FS621M-4.
The new 3D printers are based on multi-laser technologies and share a number of similarities with the manufacturer’s existing machines. They feature for instance an open platform, which means that not only can the process parameters be tuned to the needs of the user, but the machines can process a wide range of materials from third-party providers. Furthermore, they are also based on the proprietary Flight® Technology of the manufacturer.
As a reminder, the Flight® Technology is based on the integration of robust fiber lasers on industrial Laser Powderbed fusion systems, maximizing this way the laser powder bed fusion productivity for industrial quality parts offering extremely fine details.
What makes each of these systems outstanding?
Built on the success of its predecessors – the 403P Series and 252P platform with single laser -, the Flight® HT403P-2 Dual-laser configuration features an area of 400 x 400 mm², two 300-Watt fiber lasers and two scanners. The latter can reach up to 20 m/s and cooperate in the production of the plastic parts using the powder bed process. The machine’s dual-laser configuration enables to deliver 50-90% higher production volume rate compared to the single laser configuration of Flight® Technology and is 3 to 4 times faster than a single CO2 laser machine. The machine is delivered with moveable cartridges with build cylinder heights of 450 mm or 540 mm.
With multi-fiber laser configurations on the large-format HT1001P CAMS (Continuous Additive Manufacturing Solution) platform, the newly developed HT1001P-2 systems feature a large build cartridge measuring 1000 × 500 × 450mm and powerful dual 300-watt fiber lasers. With rapid scanning speeds of up to 20m/s (66ft/s) for each laser, the 3D printer integrates an exchangeable build cartridge with an improved level of automation, boasting this way the productivity of large-sized parts.
The third system, the Farsoon FS422M-4, was also built on the success of its predecessor: the Farsoon FS421M machine, which can be optionally equipped with one or two lasers. With a build volume of 420 x 420 mm², the Farsoon FS422M-4 can deliver a higher build height (up to 550 mm). It integrates 4 lasers, which once combined with the manufacturer’s optimized software and scanners, quadruples the fabrication’s productivity. As with the FS421M, the metal powder can be circulated in a closed loop in the new FS422M-4, the company states.
Last but not least, the latest machine is a metal 3D printer that features a build volume of 620 x 620 mm² with height 1100mm. Thanks to feedback from users across the aerospace, oil & gas sectors, and energy sectors, the manufacturer has been able to further optimize the FS621M Quad-laser system for batch production capabilities with materials such as titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, nickel-based superalloys, stainless steels and maraging steels.
These lines only provide a hint of the key features Farsoon has developed in its latest industrial 3D printers. The machine manufacturer has relied on needs and specific requirements from its Europe-based customers to enhance its processes.
Besides these developments, Farsoon is also rapidly enhancing its production capacity with expansion plans. “We are also glad to share that, we are well on the way to completing our new manufacturing facility expansion, with a new dedicated site for increased polymer powder material production; in order to offer high quality machine and material solutions to our global customer”, says Hope Hou, General Manager of Farsoon. With a team of 600 AM experts across the world, Farsoon will continue to increase its investments in technology & development at a rapid pace.
While the performance of these new models has been validated in the application center at Farsoon’s headquarters and with various customers in China, the company looks to showcase the capabilities of these new 3D printers at the upcoming Formnext, that will be held in Frankfurt from November 15th to 18th. Visitors at Formnext could learn more about Farsoon and how the company’s portfolio can drastically propel one’s business at booth 11.1-D29.