It all starts in 2020 with a collaboration between Xaar, developer of printheads dedicated to 3D printers and 3D printer manufacturer Meta Additive.
Due to some difficulties it had experienced in sourcing printheads with sufficient capability, Meta Additive turned to Xaar that provided the Meta Additive team a Xaar 1003 printhead.
The wide operating window and unique technologies within the Xaar 1003 printhead enabled Meta Additive to use a variety of fluids that had previously been seen as too difficult to jet. Xaar’s printhead architecture and unique TF Technology, High Laydown Technology and High Viscosity capability, in conjunction with the technical support from Xaar’s Advanced Applications and Technologies Group, helped Meta Additive move beyond the limits of inkjet printing.
“After initially finding it impossible to gain access to a sufficiently capable printhead, the arrival of Xaar’s 1003 product, with its unique technologies and ability to handle a wide range of fluids, was a game-changer for our development process. With the remarkable performance and operating window of the Xaar 1003, and Xaar’s willingness to engage in open, truly two-way collaboration and development, we have seen the partnership deliver unprecedented progress and genuine innovation in the Metal 3D Printing field”, said Kate Black, Meta Additive’s CTO.
Together both companies now aim to enhance additive manufacturing in volume metal and ceramic 3D printing (M3DP). With a £1.2M Innovate UK SMART grant, the two companies will work with The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and Epivalence, to achieve metal 3D-printing of multi-materials at scale. The announcement comes at a time when Xaar has recently improved production speed and repeatability for 3D Printing applications with new printhead.
Mike Seal, Xaar’s Head of Advanced Applications, Technologies and Fluids, said; “Our work with Meta Additive and its binder jetting innovation is as creative as it is relevant to today’s evolving manufacturing environment, and above all demonstrates the role that inkjet technology and collaboration between forward-thinking businesses is playing in pushing the boundaries of inkjet. The ability of the team to think laterally, adopting and adapting to drive their progress, fits hand in glove with our Advanced Applications and Technologies Group and we are very much looking forward to where this superb collaborative development can take manufacturing in the future.”
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