Desktop Metal’s X25Pro binder jet 3D printing system can now process the high-strength TurboFuse binder chemistry.
This binder chemistry is said to eliminate a heating step during printing and can improve 3D printing speed by 50% - depending on selected print parameters and material – according to Desktop Metal.
TurboFuse is currently available for use on the X25Pro with 316L stainless steel and requires existing users to purchase an upgrade kit. Sixteen other metals are also said to be compatible with parameter validation currently underway.
Power management company Eaton, who operates six Desktop Metal printers, is currently beta testing TurboFuse on its X25Pro machine.
“Eaton is thrilled to collaborate with Desktop Metal to prove this new binder technology,” said Eric Johnson, Ph.D., Senior Manager, Additive Manufacturing at Eaton Research Labs. “Using the new binder, we have reduced our print times by nearly 4x from the previous binder system. This is a game changer and significantly enhances the affordability of this technology.”
“TurboFuse is an intelligent chemistry developed specifically for binder jetting by the world’s most experienced binder jetting team at Desktop Metal,” Desktop Metal CEO Ric Fulop added. “By implementing TurboFuse on the X25Pro, we have dramatically improved print speeds of the market’s most popular and trusted production binder jet system and delivered other benefits as well, such as stronger green parts and improved printhead life — all of which reduce operating and per-unit part costs.”
Desktop Metal will make upgrade kits available in Q3 of 2024, with the company set to showcase customer parts produced on the X25Pro at the upcoming RAPID + TCT event in Los Angeles.
Among those parts will be aluminium lighting components, designed by BEGA, a German fine architectural outdoor and indoor lighting company. The parts were produced on the X25Pro mid-sized, production binder jet printing system with Al6061 powder.
“The Desktop Metal team continues to make incredible progress raising the bar in binder jet 3D printing with larger and more complex parts produced in Al6061 powder,” said Fulop. “Our process for binder jetting parts that are capable of replacing complex, investment cast aluminium components continues to advance rapidly, with a number of production projects underway.”
Earlier this month, Desktop Metal announced a 1-for-10 reverse stock split after previously being hit with a New York Stock Exchange noncompliance notice.
