3D Printing Industry News Sliced: Sonda SYS, Sintratec, Nanofabrica, DMG MORI, RPS, PostProcess

In this edition of Sliced, the 3D Printing Industry news digest, we cover the latest business developments, partnerships, and acquisitions across our industry. Today’s edition features the winners of the 2020 Design for Additive Manufacturing Challenge, Artec 3D’s latest class of gold certified partners, four 3D printed UAVs and even a 3D printed replacement bill […]

DMG Mori Announces LASERTEC 400 Shape Laser Ablation System

The hybrid manufacturing market continues to grow at a steady pace, as an increasing number of machine manufacturers look to combine additive manufacturing and machining capabilities. The latest comes from CNC machine and 3D printer manufacturer DMG Mori.

DMG Mori has announced the release of a new five-axis CNC machine designed specifically for performing laser texturing on 3D freeform surfaces of molds and tools. The LASERTEC 400 Shape is the largest of the company’s four laser ablation machines, capable of working with parts weighing up to 20 tons and measuring up to 3,350 x 1,350 x 1,000 mm.  In addition to the large LASERTEC 400 Shape, the machine manufacturer is aiming to release a more mid-range system with a 2,000 mm X-axis, the LASERTEC 200 Shape.

Using a newly developed additive manufacturing laser head, the purpose of the LASERTEC 400 Shape is to apply defined surface structures to existing plastic injection molds and press tools which improve the form and/or function of parts that they produce, such as scratch resistance or water repellence.

The laser scanning head of the LASERTEC 400 Shape.

The laser features 100W of power with a switchable pulse length and frequency up to 1 kHz. An F-Theta scanning lens provides the system with 3D processing optics that allow the system to apply features onto existing 3D surfaces. The print head has two degrees of movement with ± 200 degrees rotation and a swivel range of -100 to +135 degrees, allowing it to process undercuts.

DMG Mori suggests that laser machining is more ecologically sustainable than conventional etching, while offering greater freedom of design and repeatability. The system is marketed as being able to reach seemingly inaccessible portions of a part, including deep and narrow features, saying that even filigree cavities can be filled with the ablation process.

As discussed in a previous profile on the Japanese conglomerate, DMG Mori is one of the largest machine builders globally. This most recent addition to its systems portfolio builds off of the company’s more recent entry into additive manufacturing. DMG Mori offers a variety of hybrid manufacturing systems that incorporate DED laser systems into milling machines. With the acquisition of a majority stake in metal powder bed fusion system maker Realizer, the company began offering its own laser PBF printers in 2017.

Two different technical surface structures ablated onto the surface of a mould.

DMG Mori has yet to combine PBF and machining processes the way that its competitor Matsurra has, but this Shaper line does operate similarly to Trumpf’s laser-based machining. Meanwhile, a hidden player with a huge stake in all manner of AM is Siemens, which produces hardware and software for managing systems like these. In the case of the LASERTEC 400 Shape, a Siemens 840 D solutionline provides control.

Mould applications for the LASERTEC 400 Shape.

Hybrid manufacturing has huge potential for the manufacturing of molds and dies. In addition to the ability to repair existing tools, it is possible that functionally graded materials can be used to create unique molds that take advantage of the properties of multiple materials. For instance, copper could be used as a heat sink in order to more quickly cool down the part after an injection molding cycle, while steel can be used to maintain the overall durability of the part. When complex features are possible (not often the case with directed energy deposition-based systems), conformal cooling channels can be added, which can also reduce cooling time.

To read more about the state of hybrid manufacturing, look for our series here. To read more about tools and dies, see this series.

The post DMG Mori Announces LASERTEC 400 Shape Laser Ablation System appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

DMG MORI launches new Lasertec 30 Dual SLM 3D printer

DMG MORI, a leading machine tool manufacturer, has expanded its additive manufacturing portfolio with the launch of its new Lasertec 30 Dual SLM system. Equipped with two 600 W (optionally 1 kW) lasers in the optics module, the new machine is capable of building either one component or several parts at once, therefore providing the […]

Hybrid 3D Printing Profile: DMG Mori

DMG Mori is one of the largest machine builders worldwide, generating about $3 billion in revenue each from its Japanese and German divisions. Though its position in the 3D printing industry is comparatively limited, it is growing, which is why we thought we’d take a look at DMG Mori its role in additive manufacturing (AM).

A 1960’s era Mori Seiki MH 1500 lathe. Image courtesy of HASUDAI MACHINERY CO.,LTD.

DMG Mori began as textile manufacturing equipment maker Mori Seiki Co. in 1948, which ultimately led to the production of machine tools by 1958, from which it has not since diverted.  Early machines included manually controlled lathes before the introduction of numerically controlled lathes, then vertical and horizontal machining centers. These various machine tools continued to improve up to the present day.

An important component of DMG Mori’s current operations is its German division, DMG Mori AG, which first became a partner of the Japanese company in 2009. The largest manufacturer of cutting machine tools in Germany, DMG Mori AG was founded as GILDEMEISTER by Friedrich Gildemeister in 1870 and, by 1910, was a mass manufacturer of turret lathes, multi-spindle automatic lathes, milling machines, and vertical and horizontal milling machines.

While new automation features and orders from a quickly industrializing Soviet Union allowed the German company to succeed during the depression of the 1920s, the two World Wars saw Gildemeister nearly shut down by Allied forces twice. After World War Two, the company began to boom as the German economy recovered, with Gildemeister ultimately releasing numerically controlled machine tools in the 70s. From the 60s through the 90s, the company made important acquisitions. By the time of the 1995 acquisition of Deckel Maho AG, it was an established European powerhouse in manufacturing machine tools.

As Mori Seiki’s partnership Gildemeister, deepened and the Japanese company increased its ownership shares in the German manufacturer, it changed its name to Deckel Maho Gildemeister (DMG) Mori in 2013. By 2016, the Japanese and German divisions were officially integrated into a single conglomerate.

It wasn’t until 2015 that DMG Mori entered the AM market with its first hybrid manufacturing system, the LASERTEC 65 3D, which incorporated a directed energy deposition (DED) head into a five-axis milling machine. The system features a 2.5-kW diode laser for DED at rates of up to 1 kg/h. Since then, the company continued to release hybrid machines. In 2016, the LASERTEC 4300 3D was added to its portfolio, which included DED, 5-axis milling and turning functionality. Its most recent hybrid system is the LASERTEC 125 3D Hybrid, unveiled at Formnext in 2019.

The new LASERTEC 125 3D hybrid from DMG Mori.

In 2017, DMG Mori acquired a majority stake in early metal powder bed fusion (PBF) company Realizer and released its first PBF 3D printer, the LASERTEC 30 SLM, to the market. This was followed up by the LASERTEC 12 SLM, which is smaller and designed specifically for thin-walled components.

Printed metal parts typically require heat treatment, which hardens the metal, before other post-processing operations can be performed, meaning that hybrid machines can’t necessarily move directly from printing to machining without heat treatment in between. However, the newest LASERTEC 125 3D hybrid can deposit material with a hardness of up to 63 HRC, DMG Mori suggests allows users to skip the heat treatment step when harder metals are used.

DMG Mori bills all of these systems as part of a larger collection of four process chains. While the hybrid systems are able to perform all of the additive and subtractive functions necessary for 3D printing, the SLM machines and the LASERTEC 65 3D (a pure DED system) can be complemented with CNC machines offered by the company. Workpieces 3D printed with these systems can be finished to proper tolerances and surface quality on a milling machine or previously milled base plats and bases can be have objects printed onto them without the need for support structures.

Now that the Japanese conglomerate is firmly settled in the additive space, it has begun offering AM consulting services. This includes verifying the printability of parts, redesigning parts for AM, engineering new components and product categories, simulation and topology optimization, 3D printing of prototypes and small series, courses and training, and consultations dedicated to overall strategy.

Because DMG Mori has developed laser PBF, DED and hybrid machines, it would appear to be an important contender in the AM space. Perhaps, in the near future, we’ll see the company release a hybrid PBF system, like Matsuura offers, or laser-based machining, like Trumpf. As impressive as hybrid 3D printing technology appears to be from the outside, we will have to see more success stories coming from industry before we can truly assess its place in the larger AM and manufacturing markets.

The post Hybrid 3D Printing Profile: DMG Mori appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Intech Additive Solutions launches iFusion SF1 and iFusion LFMulti SLM metal 3D printers

Intech Additive Solutions, a Bangalore-based manufacturer of Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) systems, has launched its latest range of 3D printers at the Indian Metal Forming Exhibition (IMTEX 2020).  Previously called Intech DMLS, the company’s new line of metal 3D printers, the iFusion series, consists of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) systems, the iFusion SF1 and […]

3D Printing Industry Review of the Year: December 2019

Concluding 2019, December saw Stratasys appoint a new CEO after over a year of searching and Lulzbot also announces its move to North Dakota. Furthermore, additive manufacturing advances in the transport and lighting sectors and trends are observed  following Formnext 2019. Stratasys appoints a new CEO, Lulzbot moves to North Dakota Leading 3D printer OEM Stratasys appointed Yoav […]

Preview: New materials, 3D printers and releases from Formnext 2019

This week from 19th to the 22nd November 2019, the 3D printing industry will congregate at the annual Formnext exhibition. Formnext 2019 will welcome over 850 exhibitors sprawling across two, two story halls in Messe Frankfurt. Over all four days of the event, halls 11 and 12 of Messe Frankfurt are expected to welcome more […]

Voestalpine to expand additive manufacturing operations in Asia

Voestalpine has announced plans to expand its additive manufacturing operations further in the Asian market. Founded in 1938, Voestalpine specializes in steel technologies and is active in the automotive, aerospace, oil & gas and marine sector. With 500 group companies and operations in fifty countries, Voestalpine is one of the largest steel-based technology firms in Europe. Additive […]

Christian Thönes, Chairman of the Board at DMG MORI, talks 3D printing at Porsche

German performance sportscar manufacturer Porsche has been investigating the potential of additive manufacturing in automotive for some time. In its close relationship with the Volkswagen Group, Porsche has introduced metal 3D printing for component cooling. And, in 2018, the company greenlighted a classic car spare part replacement project using SLM/SLS for metal and plastic parts. Though […]

3D Printing News Sliced, Formnext 2018, ExOne, Stratasys, DyeMansion, America Makes, DSM

This edition of Sliced, the 3D Printing Industry news digest, focuses on the latest developments from the international additive manufacturing show Formnext in Frankfurt, Germany. Innovations in additive manufacturing hardware With Formnext in full swing, a plethora of 3D printing hardware has been showcased for the first time. WASP, the Italian manufacturer behind DeltaWASP 3D […]