The unique concept for the high-precision production of 3D printed parts comprises a combination of metals and ceramics and will be available from 2024.
Schaeffler Special Machinery, a Germany-based machine manufacturer, is taking its first steps into the AM industry with a new system for multi-material 3D printing. As you know, the field of multimaterial 3D printing is still a niche for AM users. In the exhaustive list of companies that operate in this market, one counts Aerosint, a Desktop Metal company, which happens to be a key partner in the development of this machine.
“Our newly developed system concept for multi-material 3D printing represents a milestone in the integration of additive manufacturing processes into our production lines,” said Bernd Wollenick, Senior Vice President of Schaeffler Special Machinery. “This solution will allow customers to use innovative material combinations, integrate new functions into components and tools, and provide a higher degree of flexibility in the design of products and tools.”
While we expect further information about the key specifications of this new machine, we already know that it combines metal and ceramics in a single build. Does the mean it relies on binder jetting? Hopefully, the company will share more details soon.
As an example of production concepts in the medical sector, Schaeffler Special Machinery developed a solution that enables the flexible assembly of X-ray tubes, designed for the production of six different variants.
So far, Schaeffler has been acknowledged as a provider of assembly machines, testing systems, machining centres, robotics, vision systems, standard measuring devices, and more. The company has been using 3D printing since the early 2000s, first for form and fit prototypes, and later for functional prototypes. In the long run, it aims to leverage the technology for serial parts production.
Schaeffler invests a lot in the development and use of automation, which means that its multi-material 3D printers could be implemented in an automated factory setting alongside other production technologies.
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