Concept Laser Toolcraft
Toolcraft uses machines from Concept Laser for high quality precision parts.
Last year, additive manufacturing in metals took its place at the forefront of the industry. With huge names like NASA and Airbus adopting 3D printing as a manufacturing process, the interest in the technology and its benefits has increased significantly.
German moulding expert, Toolcraft has revealed it has made further investments that demonstrate the increasing importance of metal laser sintering for manufacturing. Following a successful year, which saw the company expand its machine park twice, the company has highlighted the increased value the process holds for their precision part manufacturing and injection moulding.
As recent applications have demonstrated, such as Airbus implementing a 3D printed bracket on its latest passenger plane, the technology opens manufacturers up to entirely new possibilities that are not otherwise achievable through traditional manufacturing methods. As a result, companies can produce parts with complex geometries and utilise materials that are otherwise difficult to machine.
Toolcraft currently houses four laser melting machines which produce high quality parts for aerospace applications, components for housing and engine parts with one of the biggest benefits of this process being the considerable saving of both time and material. The machines come from leading manufacturer of industrial laser systems, Concept Laser, who recently took part in an insightful panel discussion on the benefits of additive manufacturing in metals for the aerospace industry.
A further benefit of metal laser melting is that it allows manufacturers to work with material combinations that would otherwise be difficult to work with.
With this in mind, Toolcraft continues to optimise its current machine set to cater to a greater range of materials such as cobalt-based alloy Haynes 188, a combination of cobalt, nickel, chromium and tungsten. The material has unparalleled thermal strength and excellent resistance to oxidising environments up to 1095°C for use in motor sport and aerospace applications and for the production of engines and industrial gas turbines.
