Formnext is a leading industry platform for additive manufacturing and industrial 3D printing. It is also an international meeting point for next generation of intelligent industrial production. This year, Formnext 2021 was held in Frankfurt am Main from 16-19 November 2021.
In conjunction with Formnext 2021, 3D Systems announced several new innovations and lead the advancement of production applications for additive with the introduction of several high-throughput 3D printing technologies, a new partnership to provide industry-leading post-processing, improved additive manufacturing software, and a new production-grade photopolymer.
Let’s take a look of the several innovations and product launches.
1. SLS 380 Industrial -Scale Workflow Solution
The new SLS 380 is part of a full workflow additive manufacturing (AM) solution featuring software, 3D printer, automatic powder control, and post-processing to deliver smoother, better looking, repeatable nylon parts, at high throughput and lower cost. The system features a water-cooled laser and closed loop thermal control for superior parts repeatability and yield across multiple jobs, machines, and sites.
3D Systems combines that with a new MQC 600 to deliver material to up to four printers simultaneously, and a partnership with AMT for a line of fully automated post-processing workflow solutions. AMT’s PostPro industrial-scale SLS post-processing systems includes fully automated de-powdering and chemical vapor smoothing solutions that optimize part quality and mechanical performance while improving efficiencies
2. DMP Flex 200
DMP Flex 200 is an affordable, high performance metal 3D printer features a 500W laser source to deliver outstanding accuracy and repeatability for the industry’s best surface finish. Suitable for fast dental application cycles for production of next day RPDs, crowns, bridges, and implant bars.
DMP Flex 200 offers:
- An enlarged build platform for next-day job delivery
- Fewer supports and optimized surface finishing with less post-processing and reduced material waste
- LaserForm CoCr and Laserform TiGr23 materials – extensively developed and tested against demanding LaserForm parameter databases
- 3DXpert all-in-one workflow software with automated part orientation, support generation, labeling, and nesting in record time
3. Enhanced DMP Configuration to Accelerate Innovation for Healthcare & Industrial Applications
3D Systems introduce greater efficiency in metal additive manufacturing (AM) with the launch of the new DMP Flex 350 Dual and DMP Factory 350 Dual. These new metal 3D printers feature a two-laser configuration to reduce build times in serial production environments by as much as 50%.
The new DMP Flex 350 Dual and DMP Factory 350 Dual offer:
- New 90µm layer thickness parameters for excellent part quality, including intricate scaffold structures
- Superior part quality for certified alloys including LaserForm TiGr23 and LaserForm AlSi10Mg LT90 and LT30
- Vacuum chamber architecture with industry-leading oxygen handling
- Intuitive user interface with guided print cycles
- Optional integrated powder management with the DMP Factory 350 Dual
4. Figure 4 Rigid 140C Black Material Opens New Automotive & Industrial Applications
Expanding the portfolio of production-grade resin, new addition to the family is Figure 4 Rigid 140C Black, a two-part epoxy/acrylate hybrid material, designed to deliver production-grade parts with long-term mechanical stability in various environments.
Highlights include:
- A 124°C @1.82MPa HDT which makes it a very attractive material for under-the-hood and internal cabin automotive applications including end-use clips, covers, connectors, housings and fasteners, electrical latching, and board connectors.
- Under-the-hood components produced with Figure 4 140C Black demonstrated excellent reliability when subjected to high temperature operating life (HTOL) testing.
Good part-to-part friction which makes this an ideal material for industrial applications such as levers, knobs, and clutches as the material maintains its structural properties.
5. Accelerates Production with Topology Optimization, Machine Learning with 3DXpert 17
Enhanced features of 3DXpert 17 to accelerate part design with higher yield and faster print times.
Features in 3DXpert 17 include:
- Innovative machine learning-based classification to automatically recognize the part types and assign relevant preparations. This quick process results in less time to prepare parts for printing
- Employing the power of Hexagon’s MSC Apex engine, 3DXpert now includes topology optimization so users can minimize part weight without losing functional performance
- Users can easily describe complex geometries with mathematical functions using the new Implicit Modeling feature
- The new thermal simulation capability from Additive Works has been fully integrated into 3DXpert and enables a physical simulation of actual thermal conditions inside the build chamber before printing. The ability to predict and correct potential issues result in a first-time-right build