Desktop Metal Production System
Boston-area metal 3D printing company, Desktop Metal has announced a number of advancements and expanded capabilities to its Production System at Formnext 2018.
Powered by Single Pass Jetting technology, the Production System is designed for mass production delivering the speed, quality, and cost-per-part needed to compete with traditional manufacturing processes. Desktop Metal says the system is more than four times faster than any binder jet competitor, 100 times faster than current laser-based systems, and with its latest print speed improvements, believes it is now the fastest metal printer on the market with the highest capacity.
Since it was first introduced at RAPID + TCT in 2017, along with the office-based Studio System, Desktop Metal has made several enhancements and expanded the capacity of the Production System. The machine now boasts accelerated print speeds at 12,000 cm3 per hour and its flagship configuration now features an expanded build volume of 750 x 330 x 250 mm, a 225 percent increase. The system also features two full-width print bars, advanced powder spreaders and anti-ballistic system which work to spread powder and print in a single quick pass across the build area, and the use of 32,768 piezo inkjet nozzles enables one of the broadest ranges of binder chemistries to print an array of metals - including tool steels, low alloy steels, titanium, and aluminium - at a rate of 3 billion drops per second. Finally, the Production System is the first binder jet-based system with an industrial inert environment, including gas recycling and solvent recovery, to safely print reactive metals in mass production.
“We are excited to provide the international engineering and design community with deeper insights into the power of the Production System with updated innovations and an extensive display of metal parts to be publicly shown for the first time this week,” said Ric Fulop, CEO and co-founder of Desktop Metal. “As we continue to expand our list of global customers and partners, companies that are turning to the game-changing technology available with the Production System, and installations set to begin rolling out in the coming months, Desktop Metal is looking to further shift the industry beyond prototyping to now include full scale metal manufacturing.”
The installation of the first Production Systems are scheduled for 2019 with the first one expected to be delivered in Q1 to a Fortune 500 company, among Desktop Metal’s early Pioneer customers. Additional customer installations at major automotive, heavy duty and leading metal parts manufacturers will follow, with broad availability in 2020.
In addition to showcasing its latest hardware developments, Desktop Metal is also previewing printed metal parts and applications across industries at Formnext 2018.
