Ohio State University’s CDME acquires Solukon depowdering machine
June 29, 2023
The Ohio State University’s Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME), Columbus, Ohio, USA, has acquired an SFM-AT800-S depowdering machine from Solukon Maschinenbau GmbH, Stadtbergen, Germany. The refurbished machine, supplied to the CDME, was acquired from a Solukon customer who recently upgraded to a larger-format machine.
The Solukon machine aims to make depowdering repeatable, more convenient, and faster as well as ensure that health and safety requirements are met. Powder recovery and reuse is possible as the unused powder can be collected contamination-free in a sealed chamber within the machine. The SFM-AT800-S can depowder parts with heights up to 600 mm using endless rotations along two axes that are automated and programmable.
“A machine like this takes the headache out of depowdering parts in metal Additive Manufacturing,” said Michael Lander, Additive Research Engineer, CDME. “I used to use mallets and make-shift apparatuses to beat the powder out of the parts, but still could not remove it all. Now, I simply load a plate of complex parts, press go and come back to parts ready to go.”
It is not common to have a depowdering machine on site in academic research facilities, allowing students to gain access to innovative technology usually only found in industry. This partnership, therefore, allows students to learn industrial technology before entering the workforce, supporting CDME’s mission to give student employees hands-on experience integrating new technologies and working on industry projects before graduation.
“Using this machine allows for safe and easy depowdering of 3D printed parts. By putting the user in control, we can set the parameters necessary for reducing the number of risks and increasing the efficiency of depowdering,” added Landon Muhlenkamp, an undergraduate student assistant at CDME. “Solukon’s software, which calculates the ideal motion sequence for depowdering automatically, is easy to use, allowing me to feel in control at every step of the process.”
CDME’s Additive Manufacturing division reportedly houses more than $8 million in Additive Manufacturing equipment, including industrial Additive Manufacturers capable of processing metals, polymers, composites, biomaterials and ceramics. With the arrival of this machine at CDME, Solukon and its affiliates have unlimited access to it.
“We also want to fulfill our role as pioneer and market leader of automated powder removal in the university context,” stated Michael Sattler, Solukon’s Global Sales Director. “By partnering with CDME, we are creating early awareness of the importance of automated depowdering among the next generation of Additive Manufacturing professionals.”
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