Page 16 - MetalForming June 2017

Additive Manufacturing
New Processes Promise Safe Desktop 3D Metal Printing and Quicker Production
Crowds convened at the Desktop Metal booth during the 2017 edition of RAPID + TCT, held last month in Pittsburgh. The promise of a revolution in 3D printing with metal was the reason why. The Burlington, MA, company unveiled and demonstrated its DM Studio and DM Production systems, using what Desktop Metal officials claim as “innovative approaches that reduce costs and significantly increase speed, safety and print quality.”
Described as “the first office-friendly metal 3D printing system for rapid prototyping,” DM Studio is a complete platform, including both a printer and microwave-enhanced sintering furnace that, together, deliver complex geometries of metal 3D printed parts in an engineer’s office or on the shop floor.
3D Platform (3DP), Rockford, IL, a manufacturer of large-format, industrial- strength 3D machines, has produced a high-flow air-cooled (HFA) filament extruder that features a gear-reduction transmission to prevent filament stripping and slipping, and print-layer resolution to 50 microns. The extruder comes with the company’s 3DP 300 Series WorkbenchPro printer, and as an available upgrade option with the 100 Series WorkTable and 200 Series WorkbenchClassic.
Unlike traditional metal 3D-printing processes, DM Studio requires no hazardous powders, no lasers and no cutting tools to operate. Instead, it employs Bound Metal Deposition (BMD), a proprietary process, to make accurate and repeatable parts, similar to the most widely used 3D-printing process for plastics, fused deposition modeling (FDM).
“Our new line of quick-swap dual extrud- er heads deliver high-quality 3D prints and are independently controlled for speed and extruded material amounts,” says company president Jonathan Schroeder. “The heads can accommodate filament sizes from 1.75 to 3 mm and nozzle sizes from 0.2 to 2.5 mm.”
3D Platform: www.3dplatform.com
The DM Studio printer extrudes bound metal rods, similar to FDM printers, which eliminates safety and facility requirements associated with traditional metal 3D printing, while enabling new features such as closed-cell infill for lightweight strength. It reportedly can produce near-net-shape metal parts, delivering the resolution and accuracy needed for functional prototyping. Sophisticated software constructs print and sinter plans for every build and material—automatically generating supports and control parameters to ensure a seamless experience from printing through sintering, according to company officials, without the need for dedicated operators. The system can print as much as 24 cu. in. per day, and maximum resolution is 50um.
AM Technical Standards Coming
Proprietary Separable Supports make it possible to remove support structures by hand (see photo), while swappable print cartridges make for safe, rapid material changes. And, it reportedly can support hundreds of different metal alloys.
The International Standards Organization (ISO) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) have joined forces to create the Additive Manufacturing Stan- dards Development Structure (AMSDS). The new framework aims to provide industry best practices to help make 3D-printing technology more accessible. ISO and ASTM expect to use the AMSDS to generate industry standards for additive manufac- turing with a wide range of materials and processes, for several industries.
To 3D-print metal parts at scale, Desktop Metal launched what it claims to be the fastest 3D-printing system for mass production of high-resolution metal parts today, DM Production. Using new, proprietary Single Pass Jetting (SPJ) technology, DM Production reportedly is 100 times faster than today’s laser-based additive-manufacturing systems, making it competitive with mass-production techniques such as casting.
DM Studio is available to reserve in May with shipping beginning this August. DM Production also is available to reserve in May, with shipping slated for 2018.
Desktop Metal: www.desktopmetal.com
14 MetalForming/June 2017
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HFA Extruders Quickly Deliver High-Quality 3D Prints