Additive Industries new MetalFAB1 to offer improved reproducibility, productivity and flexibility
November 17, 2015
Additive Industries’ first industrial metal Additive Manufacturing system, MetalFAB1, introduced at the formnext exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, November 17-20, 2015, is claimed to offer substantially improved performance over typical midrange metal AM systems. The industrial grade AM machine and integrated Additive World software platform is stated to offer up to a tenfold increase in reproducibility, productivity and flexibility.
The company indicated that its improved performance is achieved by robust and thermally optimised equipment design, smart feedback control and calibration strategies, elimination of waiting time and automation of build plate and product handling. The modular design of the MetalFAB1 system allows for customer and application specific process configuration.
Multiple build chambers with individual integrated powder handling make this industrial 3D printer the first to combine up to four materials simultaneously in one single machine. The MetalFAB1 can be equipped with a maximum of four full field lasers, thereby eliminating the need for stitching when printing large objects. MetalFAB1 is also the only system to include a furnace for integrated stress relief heat treatment. The size of a single build envelope (420x420x400 [mm]) places the MetalFAB1 among the top three largest metal AM systems available.
Additive Industries will start its Beta test programme next month. It stated that four Beta machines have already been reserved by customers from demanding markets such as aerospace, high tech equipment and tooling. “We are eager to work closely together with our Beta customers. We will team up to further develop the process, new materials and applications as well as testing the performance to substantially improve the business cases of our customers,” stated Daan Kersten, co-founder and CEO of Additive Industries.
