Solukon marks delivery of 200th automated metal depowdering machine
Solukon, Augsburg, Germany, has announced that it has delivered its 200th depowdering machine for metal Additive Manufacturing following the delivery of a SFM-AT800-S to satellite component manufacturer SWISSto12.
Since its foundation, Solukon has worked to highlight the advantages of automated depowdering in the Additive Manufacturing process. The introduction of its Smart Powder Recuperation technology in 2015, was reported to be the world’s first industrial system for automated depowdering. With well-known customers and partnerships, the company believes that it has significantly optimised post-processing for the industry in terms of occupational safety and efficiency.
SWISSto12 uses its SFM-AT800-S to clean complex parts automatically. Using Additive Manufacturing, the company supplies RFID antenna components and complex waveguide structures which are needed for satellite telecommunications. amongst other parts.
“By using Additive Manufacturing methods, we achieve a significant reduction in weight and costs – as well as excellent frequency performance – for our antennas,” stated Mathieu Billod, Head of Manufacturing Technology at SWISSto12. “With the Solukon SFM-AT800-S, we depowder the printed parts reliably and quickly. Due to the unlimited freedom of motion, even complex structures inside the parts become powder-free.”
The aerospace sector is the largest user of Solukon’s automated depowdering systems. “Aerospace is the industry with the most Solukon systems in the field, because the requirements for repeatable and reliable post-processing are particularly high here,” added Andreas Hartmann, CEO and CTO of Solukon.
In total, the company has installed its depowdering machines – of which it now has four different models – in twenty-eight countries. As well as the 200 metal powder machines, Solukon has also delivered polymer depowdering machines and has developed QC solutions, including integration into automated processes, as well as intelligent software in cooperation with Siemens (the SPR-Pathfinder) which will be introduced at Formnext 2022.
“We are honoured that so many well-known companies, institutes and OEMs trust in our technology,” continued Hartmann. “For us, this means another kick to always grow with the challenges of our customers.”
