This series of news round-up gathers the latest news on acquisition of new equipment and companies that expand into new territories.
Toolcraft invests in an advanced polishing system for 3D printing.
With the goal of simplifying manual processes and to enhance current operations, AM service provider Toolcraft has invested in a system for polishing metal components, a “DLyte PRO500” polishing system from GPAINNOVA. The company already delivers both additive and subtractive manufacturing technologies, including post-processing steps to manufacturers looking to fabricate new products.
Post-processing tasks which include the deburring and polishing of precision components were carried out manually, until now. A homogeneous result across the surface is guaranteed by the patented DryLyte technology: The dry electropolishing process works by transporting ions and delivers an optimal result even with complex component geometries. At Toolcraft, the new system is currently used to polish both additively manufactured and conventionally machined components.
Numerous parameters can be selected for different requirements and materials. “This is a future-oriented investment that we want to use to expand our capabilities and offer our customers additional added value,” says Christoph Hauck, Chief Technology and Sales Officer at toolcraft AG.
Morf3D and Divergent Technologies ramp up their production capacity with new SLM Solutions’ machines
Divergent Technologies, manufacturer of concept cars that uses AM, has decided to ramp up its production with three SLM NXG XII 600 systems that will support its Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS®).
SLM Solutions and Divergent Technologies entered a Joint Development Partnership in 2017. For the last 1.5 years, Divergent has been operating with three SLM Solutions pre-production systems in its showcase facility in Los Angeles, California, which enabled them to accelerate the development and time to market of the next generation machines. The three additional NXG XII 600 systems will bring their install base for this printer to six, making them the largest shareholder of this model in the United States. This new fleet of NXG XII 600s will join their current install base of seven SLM®500 systems, three SLM®280 systems, and one SLM®125 system.
As a reminder, the new machines have been unveiled last year, feature twelve 1kW lasers and can print at speeds 5-20x faster than machines with a build envelope of 600 x 600 x 600 mm3.
With the new machines that will be delivered in Q1 2022, Divergent’s initial factory deployment will involve the production of thousands of tons of complex, automatically assembled structures, which will be hitting the road over the next two years. This will be followed by the scale-up of its advanced facilities, specially designed for sustainable production using DAPS®, including “fab-less” vehicle manufacturing, which will begin with the fully homologated Czinger Vehicles 21C hypercar.
In the meantime, Morf3D, a Nikon company, commits to 2 SLM® 500s and the NXG XII 600, that will be utilized at its Applied Digital Manufacturing Center in Long Beach, California, in 2022.
The mission of Morf3D’s 90,000 square ADMC foot facility is to leverage partner networks to transform supply chain norms and develop the industry’s first certified production system to accelerate the industrialization of Digital Manufacturing. The addition of the 2 SLM® 500s and the NXG XII 600 will support Morf3D’s goal of ramping up a global production setup while improving production lead time, order flexibility, cost efficiency, and quality. This joining of forces will enable quality and repeatability while paving the way to serial production.
Next to the supply of machines, SLM Solutions will also offer on-site support in the form of education, training, and consulting. All of ADMC’s research and development partners will work together to drive new innovations and deploy novel methods of aerospace engineering in order to increase productivity and automation. All partners will also have access to collective training, meeting, and gathering spaces for customer events and business development efforts.
Freemelt to debut on German 3D printing market
Metal AM machines’ manufacturer is opening a showroom in Esslingen, Germany, to showcase its Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-EB) technology. This milestone is marked by the creation of Freemelt Deutschland GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary, that will coordinate the activities of the Esslingen centre, as well as the commercialisation of Freemelt systems in Germany and in Europe at large.
As a reminder, Freemelt develops, Freemelt One, a patent-pending development platform that features a 6 kW electron gun with high resolution over the entire power range and which operates at temperatures of higher than 1200°C.
The powder bed fusion-electron beam machine enables production with crack-sensitive materials such as refractory metals. Qualification of materials on the Freemelt ONE can be conducted with very small powder quantities in a small vacuum chamber, making new material development both fast and cost-effective.
“Developing new processes for the Additive Manufacturing of new alloys is a key factor for expanding the use of PBF-EB to new and exciting applications. Materials and process parameters developed for the Freemelt One can be seamlessly applied to the Freemelt production system which is currently under development,” Ulric Ljungblad, CEO, Freemelt explains.
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