Xact Metal introduces two new metal Additive Manufacturing systems
April 5, 2018
Xact Metal’s XM200C metal Additive Manufacturing system (Courtesy Xact Metal)
Xact Metal, State College, Pennsylvania, USA, has launched two new metal Additive Manufacturing systems, the XM200C and the XMS200S. Both systems are based on a metal Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) process and both have a build volume of 2048 cm3 (127 x 127 x 127 mm) / 125 in3 (5 x 5 x 5 in).
The XM200C features a 100W Yb fiber laser and a patent-pending scanner which fuses at speeds up to 500 mm/sec. The system has a small footprint which is said to allow for simple integration into the lab or manufacturing floor. Priced at $80,000, the XM200C can be used with a range of metals including stainless steel, super alloys and tooling steels.
“The XM200C makes metal powder-bed fusion available for universities, labs and small-to-medium businesses who need prototyping, casting, tooling and printing of small parts, and who could not afford these systems in the past,” stated Juan Mario Gomez, CEO of Xact Metal. “In addition, when compared to bound metal deposition, atomic deposition additive manufacturing or other FDM-like metal 3D printers, metal powder-bed fusion provides high-quality and complex parts, reduces total cycle time by about 50%, and removes the need for wash/debinder and sintering/oven equipment.”
Xact Metal’s XM200S (left) and XM200C (right) (Courtesy Xact Metal)
Xact Metal’s XM200S incorporates a 200W Yb fiber laser and a digital galvanometer mirror scanner which has a jogging speed of 12 m/sec. The system can be used with a wide range of metals including aluminium, stainless and tooling steel, super alloys, and titanium.
“Priced at $130,000, the XM200S is ideal for printing of small parts where high-performance applications and print speed are critical,” explained Gomez. “The introduction of the XM200S is another example of how Xact Metal continues to combine the requirements of metal Powder Bed Fusion and breakthrough technology to establish a new level of price and performance for Additive Manufacturing.”
Matt Woods, Xact Metal’s CTO, stated, “The XM200S uses state-of-the-art technology. Precision digital optical systems provide active thermal drift compensation which eliminates warm-up times and minimises long-term drift during printing operations. The 24-bit command resolution gives industry leading positional accuracy.”
“In addition, the patent-pending recoater uses a unique ‘bulb’ shape element to spread powder like a blade, yet provides compaction similar to a rolling element, and the compliant design allows the recoater to negotiate out-of-plane growth and continue printing.”
Shipments of the XM200C are expected to start in June 2018, while shipments of the XM200S are expected to begin in September 2018. The company will be exhibiting at numerous events throughout the year, including at RAPID + TCT 2018 in Fort Worth, Texas April 23-26, 2018.
