The new machine completes a portfolio that already includes four systems designed for metal parts, each of them optimized for different part sizes and applications.
We caught up with Andreas Hartmann, CEO and CTO of Solukon at formnext 2021 to discuss the main features of the company’s new depowdering system as well as the main vertical industries that will benefit from its advantages.
Any space engineer will tell you that removing the remaining powder on rocket engines, or heat exchangers is one of the most complex tasks to conduct in a manufacturing process. Fortunately, it’s been a few years that machine manufacturer Solukon is investing extra miles to address this issue by developing dedicated automated machines based on its Smart Powder Recuperation technology SPR®.
The latest baby to join the Solukon family, the SFM-AT350 is designed for medium-sized components. It features a more compact design and comes to replace the previous model SFM-AT300, that we discovered as an ideal fit for medical 3D printed parts.
As we may expect, the new family member comes with the Digital Facotry Tool in option – just like the SFM-AT800/-S and SFM-AT1000-S, the Solukon systems designed for large parts.
With increased freedom of motion and further flexibility in programmability, the Solukon SFM-AT350 enables endless rotation, while the horizontal axis can pivot up to 250 degrees. It can process metal 3D printed parts with a maximum total weight of 60 kg (incl. build platform) & a maximum height of 420 mm; and would be a great fit to process parts made with reactive materials such as aluminum or titanium.
Operators could handle the machine using an integrated software that will easily draw paths according to part geometry, waiting times, knocking procedures, or even variable moving speed.
Installing the machine can be done faster on the building plate using a clamping system not to mention that the interface for the powder outlet is now compatible with standard containers.
“The SFM-AT350 can now be inerted much faster and more cost-effectively. [It] is the new standard for the depowdering of medium-sized components. Medium-sized components can now be automatically freed from powder even faster and easier. The fact that complex rotation patterns can be programmed effortlessly is a great advantage for depowdering even the most challenging geometries,” states Andreas Hartmann, CEO and CTO of Solukon.
Be it through new features or new machines, Solukon does not rest on its laurels, and is on the right path to maintain a leading position in the depowdering of 3D printed parts.
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