Formnext, the international exhibition and conference on next generation manufacturing technologies, returns to Frankfurt Messe on 13-16th November. The TCT editorial team's calendars are already bursting with the number of press conferences scheduled to take place throughout the show - 33 so far - and as always, we'll be bringing you up-to-the-minute news, right here.
Get tickets for the TCT conference @ Formnext here.
There are several companies hinting at some big launches but details are being kept under wraps until doors open next week. As always, big hardware launches are sure to create a buzz, but those machines need the right software and materials to reach their true potential. Here are just some of the latest software and materials you can see across the four show days.
Simufact (3.0-E79)
Simufact will provide first insights into its new Simufact Additive release, version 4, a simulation solution for metal AM. Simufact Additive puts its focus on build preparation, build simulation and subsequent steps including Heat Treatment, cutting the base plate, removing supports and Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP). Key features include tools for best build orientation, integrated support structure capabilities, and the ability to predict manufacturing issues. The software also allows interfacing with third part solutions such as OEM build preparation software.
“Our upcoming version 4 will underline our ambitions to provide the best overall process simulation package – concerning speed, accuracy, functionality, and usability,” states Dr. Gabriel Mc Bain, Simufact's Senior Director Product Management.
trinckle (3.0-C07)
Fresh from winning the TCT Industrial Production Application Award for the mass customisation of copper inductors at the 2018 TCT Awards, trinckle will be at Formnext showing visitors how it transforms AM projects into scalable business. The company will be exhibiting its paramate cloud software, designed for the automation of design and 3D model configuration by using smart algorithms to replace repetitive manual design tasks.
Visitors will also be able to learn about the company’s latest projects with partners such as Ford, Deutsche Bahn, Schmalz, Protiq and Ultimaker. trinckle will show how paramate is helping Ford to create designs for jigs and fixtures automatically and supporting Deutsche Bahn in streamlining internal design processes.
LEO Lane (3.1-B30A)
LEO Lane will show how corporations can uphold brand integrity and IP protection by securely managing additive manufacturing, each and every time parts are produced.
Via an innovative, Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, LEO Lane says it enables brands to scale production in additive manufacturing while protecting their IP, securing digital assets and enforcing control over the quality, consistency and quantity of their parts and products.
On 14th November at 3.30pm on the TCT Introducing Stage, visitors can hear Dr Lee-Bath Nelson, Co-Founder and VP Business at LEO Lane deliver a presentation entitled ‘Empowering brands to securely manage additive manufacturing, anywhere anytime’.
Polygonica (3.1-E90)
Polygonica’s latest point cloud and hole filling functionality will be on display at Formnext 2018. MachineWorks’ Polygonica software toolkit claims to deliver a significant breakthrough for processing large point cloud data thanks to algorithms for efficient handling of points, automatic registration, fast alignment, effective noise reduction, smooth surface creation, automatic segmentation and mesh generation.
Hole filling capabilities have also been enhanced with new algorithms which respect the surface curvature and can automatically detect islands and connect them to the correct holes. Multiple holes can be automatically filled through a single API call, significantly improving the performance when handling large meshes. The team will be offering live demos on the show floor.
Apium Additive Technologies (3.1-C70)
Sample PP parts from Apium.
Sample PP parts from Apium.
Apium Additive Technologies has announced the addition of a polypropylene (PP) material to its additive manufacturing portfolio.
PP, a linear hydrocarbon thermoplastic polymer, has a melting range between 130°C and 171°C and is among the most widely used commodity polymers in industrial production. The material boasts very good chemical resistance, making it a suitable choice for container of liquids, such as cleaning agents, and also good fatigue resistance and shape retention, meaning living hinges is also a viable application. Its very high resistance to electricity also makes it suitable for electronic components.
The company is set to make further announcements during Formnext, but with the launch of this new material has already significantly enhanced its offering to users of its P Series 3D printing system.
Sinterit (3.1-G41)
Sinterit
Flexa-Bright-earplug sinterit
An earplug printed in Flexa Bright on the Sinterit Lisa 2 Pro.
Sinterit has announced the launch of a white thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material for its SLS 3D printing systems a week after unveiling its Flexa Soft product.
The company says it has answered the demands of its customers with Flexa Bright, a functional rubber enabling flexible objects in two levels of hardness and ‘as close to the white colour as is possible’.
The material boasts an elongation at break of 317% and an ultimate tensile strength of 10MPa according to PN-ISO 37:2007. It is classes as a medium-hard material with a Shore A hardness value of 79 by PN-EN ISO 868:2005 standard, and it has a water absorptions of about 3% according to PN-EN ISO 62:2008.
Sinterit says the material is well suited to meeting flexible prototyping needs, including prototyping fabric, clothes and creating items needed in the medical sector, particularly in pre-surgery and training programmes.
Register to attend and get tickets for the TCT conference @ Formnext here.
