Page 15 - 3D Metal Printing Magazine Winter 2022

time from months to less than 5 days, with material and process costs reduced from thousands of dollars to less than $200.
Markforged: www.markforged.com
Trumpf Machine Prints Unique Connectors
for Facade Applications
Trumpf displayed a variety of parts produced via its TruPrint lineup of AM machines. A unique 3D printing applica- tion on display: components of parametric facade systems from exyz, a German com- pany, with facade nodes printed on a
TruPrint 5000 in use at H+B Hightech GmbH. The nodes, designed by Lithium Designers GmbH and employing topology optimization to optimize part design and material usage, serve as universal con- nections that enable design and construc- tion of architectural facades at various angles. By utilizing AM in general, and the TruPrint 5000 in particular, the node, referred to as N-AM_Li3, offers extreme facade-design flexibility combined with light weight.
The TruPrint 5000 features three 500- W lasers that simultaneously scan the entire build area to achieve optimal, seam- less surface quality. Optional preheating of the substrate plate to temperatures reaching 500 C ensures high component quality and a robust laser-fusion process, according to company officials. In-process monitoring of powder coating, weld pool, machine status and productivity enables
full control of component quality on a layer-by-layer basis.
Trumpf Inc.: www.us.trumpf.com
Aluminum Large-Part Hybrid Manufacturing via Big Metal Additive
Big Metal Additive, Denver, CO, informed showgoers on its capabilities in design adjustment and optimization, wire- fed AM, and five-axis cutting and machin- ing to produce chiefly aluminum parts for customers. Aerospace, space, auto- motive and military larger-part applica- tions are ideal, as the company boasts 6 by 12-ft. AM worktables.
Big Metal Additive’s unique AM process provides interesting material properties according to the company’s general man- ager, Ty Stranger-Thorson, who filled in 3DMP on the technology at Formnext. Namely, the material exhibits full tensile strength at 0-, 45- and 90-deg. angles—
atypical in layer-by-layer AM processes, where Z-axis tensile strength tends to suf- fer. And, the process combines additive and subtractive work on a single platform. Big Metal Additive: www.bigmetaladditive.com
Dunlee Focusing on Tungsten for 3D-Printed Parts
Dunlee outlined its capabilities in pro- ducing tungsten parts via 3D printing. The company specializes in producing tungsten parts such as the rectangular antiscatter grid shown here on the lower
Formnext 2021 3D right. The tall object in the center of the
photo is a blown-up version of the part, showing its thin-walled construction in detail. An antiscatter grid, produced for use in CT scanners, for example, limits the amount of radiation scatter that reach- es a detector. Limiting scatter results in higher-resolution images. Tungsten, a refractory metal with a melting tempera- ture surpassing 3400 F, offers properties that make it more effective in this and other applications than its close metallic cousin, molybdenum, according to Jan Philippe Grage, Dunlee business manager for 3D printing. In this case, the higher density of tungsten allows more scatter to be absorbed. Moreover, the new design possibilities afforded by 3D printing enable creation of parts that more accu- rately direct rays to a photodiode.
Dunlee produces these and other parts on well over 10 3D printing machines in The Netherlands, including EOS M 290 laser powder-bed machines.
Dunlee: www.dunlee.com
EOS: www.eos.info/en
3DMPmag.com
WINTER 2022 • 3D METAL PRINTING | 13