This unpacking station, the first result of the cooperation between HP and AM Solutions – 3D post processing technology, combines the full range of print, software and material knowhow at HP with more than 80 years of experience in the fields of surface treatment and equipment manufacturing for industrial applications at Rösler.
As you may have noticed, when HP has decided to announce an update in its 3D printing series, it is always a series of products and services, developed with other partners. Following the launch of the thermoplastic elastomer developed with Evonik and the partnership with AMT, we share today another piece of good news regarding the manufacturer.
In collaboration with the Rösler brand AM Solutions, the developer of the Multi Jet Fusion has developed the HP Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D Automatic Unpacking Station, a scalable, industrial post processing solution that allows for automated and consistent unpacking of AM parts produced on the HP Jet Fusion 5200 3D Printing System.
The announcement follows the recent launch of AM Solutions’ S1 but let’s focus today on this Automatic Unpacking Station.
The Automatic Unpacking Station, key characteristics
Manufactured at the German location of the Rösler brand AM Solutions, operators will use the unpacking station immediately after the cooling of the build job in the HP Natural Cooling Unit. Using a lifting device, they will be able to transfer the cooling unit to the Automatic Unpacking Station.
Once the whole build job is placed in the station, the integrated digital process makes it easy to transfer all relevant printing job data to the unpacking station. Those data are transmitted with the help of a RFID reader in order to ensure the job- and process-related data tracking and the process monitoring via HP’s 3D Center software.
According to experts from AM Solutions, the automated unpacking process can be adapted to the individual work pieces, which enables, thereafter, a considerably higher powder reclaim rate for certain geometries. They also ensure that an air suction system transfers the powder collected in the station continuously to a dedicated external tank. Not to mention that the printed parts are discharged into an unloading box. Once the external tank is full, it is replaced with an empty one, and the retrieved powder can be loaded back into an HP Build Unit after connecting the full tank to the Processing Station.
As seen with recently unveiled post-processing systems, one benefit of this unpacking station will be the reduction of both manual tasks and the overall cycle time for certain applications. The latter benefit is quite understandable as the unpacking operation can start right after the recommended minimum cooling time is completed.
As an early adopter of the new technology, Matteo Rigamonti, Founder at Weerg, an online 3D printing service based in in Scorzè, Italy testifies:
“The HP 3D Automatic Unpacking Station has fully met our expectations for an automatic unpacking solution. With a growing fleet of HP Jet Fusion 5210 systems at high-volume production, the unpacking process requires a lot of time and resources. Thanks to this solution, our unpacking process became not only significantly faster, but we are also reclaiming more powder. The process is precise, and works well even for small and delicate parts.”
The company produces around 2,500 pieces per day. And it has thoroughly tested the new machine at their facilities. “As we expand our business, these enhanced capabilities are designed to help us meet customer demand, and improve our turnaround times, for high volume production parts”, the company concludes.
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