Today at Formnext 2018 in Frankfurt, Stratasys unveiled further details on its new metal 3D printing platform.
First unveiled earlier this year, the additive manufacturing (AM) platform is adopts a first-of-its-kind “Layered Powder Metallurgy” (LPM) technology, designed to make production of metal parts quicker, easier and more cost-effective than ever before for short run applications.
Speaking at a press briefing, Andy Middleton, President EMEA, Stratasys, described the process as a “breakthrough” metal technology. LPM is built to drive improved efficiency and cost savings using standard Powder Metallurgy (PM) alloys, mechanical properties with high accuracy and controlled shrinkage, as well as extremely fast throughput. The company says LPM can offer cost reductions which not only compete with current metal AM technologies, but also machining.
“We note that current approaches to 3D printing metal parts leave a lot to be desired – including slow post-processing, painstakingly intricate support removal, and hours of matching and grinding. Combined with the high cost of AM powders, this means each part is expensive, with a total cost of ownership that is too hard to justify,” said Rafie Grinvald, Director of Product Marketing and Management, Stratasys. “Our new platform is being designed to transform the current metals additive manufacturing landscape – presenting a viable alternative to typical production methods – and helping customers dramatically reduce the costs of creating reliable, consistent production-grade, metal parts for short-run applications.”
Developed internally over the past several years, Stratasys’ platform incorporates the company’s proprietary jetting technology and commonly-used powder metallurgy, starting with aluminium powders but more materials are said to follow soon. The LPM solution includes a 3-step, AM process combining traditional powder metallurgy with Stratasys’ PolyJet ink-jet technology. The process includes printing of boundaries with proprietary thermal ink, powder dispensing and spreading, and then compaction of the powder layer to achieve high-density and controllable shrinkage.
The end result is intended to be economically competitive on cost-per-part and throughput with easy to implement post-processing and high part quality. The system aims to directly address needs of customers who require production of pilot-series parts, small-batch manufacturing during product ramp-up and end-of-life, as well as customised, lightweight, complex parts.
Though the company didn’t reveal too many more details about the technology, it did say that some customers in Europe, potentially in the automotive industry, will be getting their hands on the technology first next year.
