DLyte electropolishing
Dental parts before and after electropolishing.
WINNER of the TCT Post-Processing Award 2018. Submit your design-to-manufacturing innovation for this year’s TCT Awards here.
At Formnext 2018, splashes of purple could be spotted on a select few stands as this year’s TCT Award-winning exhibitors proudly displayed their industry expert-approved tech to the masses. One such badge-holder was Barcelona-based, Steros GPA Innovate S.L. (GPA INNOVA), which took home the TCT Post Processing Award 2018 for its DLyte dry electropolishing system.
Founded in 2015, GPA INNOVA specialises in machinery for metal surface finishing. Its DryLyte technology, which combines grinding and polishing in a one-step process to produce shiny finished parts, is said to be the first dry electropolishing system of its kind.
Unlike traditional methods, DryLyte does not use liquid as the electrolyte but instead uses ion transport via free solid bodies which enable the removal material from only the peaks of roughness and without changing the part’s shape, tolerances or leaving any micro scratches on the surface. The process can handle complex geometries and penetrate all dead zones for a range of metals including steel and stainless-steel, cobalt chrome, titanium, aluminium, nickel and precious metal alloys for dental, healthcare, aerospace, automotive and other industries. Depending on the application, the process time can be reduced by around 75% compared to mechanical techniques.
Jaume Miras, Finance Director at GPA INNOVA explained: “Our system is working like digital polishing, we don't really need to press to create pressure on the surface, we don't need to create movement on the surface, we just need the ball to touch the surface and then it’s this ion transport from the piece to the media. The metal will remain inside the media and after some hours or after the time of use, you need to replace with fresh media.”
DLyte electropolishing
Titanium medical part finished with DryLyte.
“When you don’t have really big volumes with the same part, for example in the dental field where every mouth is different, so every part will be different, you would need programming for each part,” Miras commented. “That's why our system doesn’t need programming, you can put several parts in the same batch and it’s just a standard program because it's not dependent on the geometry of the part.”
With different machines designed for various sectors and materials, the company already has around 140 of its systems installed worldwide. The majority are based in Europe with customers primarily in the dental industry but its machines are also being adopted by bigger firms such as French aerospace company, Safran Group and global medical giant, Johnson & Johnson. One mid-sized dental laboratory which produces around 50 pieces a day is said to be saving around 102,000 EURO a year, primarily in labour costs, compared to manual polishing and is averaging around nine finished parts per hour with the DLyte Dental system. Expanding that even further, at Formnext, its new DLyte 10000 Industrial Series machine (coming soon, GPA INNOVA says) could be seen coupled with a KUKA robotic arm, an example of how systems can be customised and adapted to fi t into current production workflows.
Miras added: “When we go to the industry we see that each company is different. This machine will also need to be included in the current production chain so of course, we need to adapt somehow. This will be a standard machine with some adaptations to meet the customer needs and that will be something that comes very soon for all industries and with really customised solutions.”
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