AMT's Digital Manufacturing System
UK-based Additive Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) has launched its new Digital Manufacturing System for additive manufacturing at Formnext this week.
The post-processing solution is designed to automate a vital part of the additive manufacturing process chain, a piece that can, at times, account for more than half of the cost of the part and has long been referred to as the industry’s “dirty little secret”.
Visitors to the Frankfurt event are getting the first chance to see the DMS solution on AMT’s sustainable booth concept, which provides a holistic and automated approach to every stage of the manufacturing workflow including unpacking, de-powdering, smoothing, colouring and inspection, all digitally connected to ensure end-to-end efficiency.
DMS addresses the manual intervention still required in producing a finished additive part, in this case, between the additive manufacturing system and AMT’s PostPro3D systems based on proprietary BLAST technology, which deliver finished parts at injection moulding quality.
Presented as a comprehensive manufacturing cell, DMS can be customised to the requirements of the specific application to improve high volume additive manufacturing applications. In an example shown this week using HP’s 3D printing technology, parts travel from the AM machine to the unpacking stage which incorporates a proprietary fluidised bed and automated sorting capabilities, to material removal using AMT’s PostPro3DDP system which doesn’t require any blasting media, to smoothing and/or colouring stations with the PostPro3D Mini and Color options, and finally to inspection with PostPro3DMet, a machine learning metrology system, developed in conjunction with the University of Nottingham.
Commenting on the growing number of companies in the industry focusing on post-processing solutions and AMT's specific capabilities, Joseph Crabtree, CEO at AMT said: “It is gratifying to see that post processing is being more widely acknowledged as a bottle neck in the AM process chain, with a growing number of companies focused in this area. However, AMT’s unique solutions combine market leading technology, machine learning capabilities, dedicated automation systems and superior research and production partnerships. It is this approach that means we offer more than just a process or just a machine, which is what you may find on other booths at Formnext. AMT’s Digital Manufacturing System exemplifies this perfectly, with a comprehensive solution that links all of the post processing stages together through intelligent, digital connectivity and innovative hardware to unlock the potential of AM for cost-effective, high volume applications across industry.”
