Rohde & Schwarz commission Solukon SFM-AT350 depowdering system
August 7, 2024
Rohde & Schwarz, headquartered in Munich, Germany, has commissioned a Solukon SFM-AT350 at its Teisnach facility in Germany. The company produces a range of products – including RF components and heat exchangers – using Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing.
The SFM-AT350 is a depowdering system for medium-size parts up to 100 kg and maximum dimensions of 400 x 400 x 400 mm or 500 x 280 x 400 mm. The system features a compact structure that supports low inert gas consumption, freedom of movement and cleaning quality. Alongside adjustable pneumatic vibration, a high-frequency knocker disperses powder clumps.
Depending on the workload, the Solukon system completes two to four cleaning jobs a week at Rohde & Schwarz. This number is expected to rise as its Additive Manufacturing is currently in the ramp-up phase and will soon transition to serial production.
The company uses a dual-laser TruPrint 2000 to additively manufacture components from stainless steel and an aluminium alloy (AlSi10Mg). Since aluminium is a reactive material, the SFM-AT350 chamber uses a protective gas before the cleaning process begins.
“We are very pleased with both the cleaning quality and the quality of the Solukon system itself. The system is very easy to operate and we have not had any malfunctions or problems yet,” said Peter Scherer, Head of Additive Manufacturing at Rohde & Schwarz.
“Short coordination channels with a German manufacturer, a high system quality and safe concepts were very important to us, and Solukon completely fulfilled our requirements in the best possible way,” he concluded.
