Incus GmbH
Incus' Hammer Pro40.
Incus GmbH has announced the launch of its Hammer Pro40 Lithography-based Metal Manufacturing (LMM) 3D printer for 'mass manufacturing' applications.
The company has built the Hammer Pro40 on the principles of its Hammer Lab35 system, scaling the technology to now go beyond the R&D lab and onto the factory floor.
Incus' Hammer Pro40 machine will be exhibited at the upcoming Formnext fair in Frankfurt and is equipped with two scrolling projectors, replacing the single stationary projector utilised in the Hammer Lab35. It also has a build volume of 2x 200 x 76.8 x 150 mm, which is around six times larger than the build capacity of its predecessor, and a high potential throughput of 700cm³/hour (print speed of up to 240 layers/h) - seven times that of the Hammer Lab35. Incus says the Hammer Pro40 also achieves 'excellent' resolution with a pixel pitch of 40µm in X/Y and a slice thickness of between 10-100µm. Printing cost per cm³ is said to be four times lower than the Hammer Lab35.
Incus CEO, Dr. Gerald Mitteramskogler told TCT earlier this month: “The biggest shortcoming that people would see for us was scalability. It’s assumed binder jetting can go super fast, super big, super efficient, [but our process cannot]. With this machine, we’re going to change that perception. Upscaling lithography is possible.”
Other benefits of the machine include the ability to automate the handling of green parts thanks to the strength of components before sintering, while a post-sinter surface roughness of 2µm is said to eliminate the need for polishing and sandblasting. The machine has been designed to operate multiple jobs without the need for intervention from the operator, while its feedstock supply can last up to three days of continuous printing.
The machine is being introduced to help move users of LMM from the research lab into production, with Incus having an array of applications in various industries currently in R&D. With the Hammer Pro40, Incus believes it will enable the manufacture of large batches of intricate, specialty parts in the dental, medical, automotive, micro robotics, and jewellery markets.
“The Hammer Pro40 was strategically developed to fulfil the growing demand for mass manufacturing with AM while still delivering the unique features of our technology,” commented Mitteramskogler in a press release distributed this morning. “This innovation means a leap forward in terms of speed, precision, and cost-effectiveness, but it also opens up new opportunities to leverage the versatility of our manufacturing solution. Within a single print, you can create intricate medical gripping devices, patient-specific dental brackets, personalised jewellery pieces, prototypes for electronic devices, and customised automotive knobs for luxury interior designs – all in quantities ranging from single prototypes to mass manufacturing."
Key technical specifications of this new system include:
- Two scrolling projector units
- Printing volume: 2x 200 x 76.8 x 150 mm
- Pixel pitch 40µm
- Slice thickness: 10-100 µm
- Pixel count (X, Y) 2x 5000 x 1920 px
- Print speed: up to 240 layers/h and up to 700 cm³/h
