Horn optimises depowdering stage with Solukon SFM-AT350
June 13, 2023
Precision tool manufacturer Horn GmbH, headquartered in Tubingen, Germany, is reported to be using a Solukon SFM-AT350 Smart Powder Recuperation system to automate the depowdering of its additively manufactured components.
Currently, Horn uses the Solukon SFM-AT350 to depowder parts made from tool steel, stainless steel, and reactive materials like aluminium and titanium. Depending on part size, several dozen parts can be arranged on a build plate, which are then simultaneously cleaned of powder, making the cleaning process considerably faster and more efficient.
The SFM-AT350 can clean complex metal parts weighing up to 60 kg with two-axis rotation and adjustable vibration in a protected atmosphere. “The Solukon system increases safety (explosion protection) because we can also use it to depowder metal parts made of reactive materials in a protective gas atmosphere,” stated Dr Konrad Bartkowiak, Production Manager for Additive Manufacturing at Horn.
Bartkowiak also shared that when it comes to depowdering, parts with interior cooling channels, lattice structures or powder residue in the support structures are the greatest challenge. The SFM-AT350, however, cleans these complex parts automatically, made possible by the Digital-Factory-Tool, a sensor and interface set used to monitor all the key data of the depowdering process, such as humidity, chamber pressure and temperature.
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