Nov 11, 2016 | By Alec
The benefits of 3D printing as a prototyping tool are being felt in just about every single manufacturing sector you can think of, but this isn’t the 3D printing future we all dreamed of a few years ago. Mass (customizable) production has always been the end target, but one that might be impossible to reach due to the high hardware costs and long production times that 3D printers bring to the table. Rapid production of small to medium-sized batches through 3D printing can be seen as a good halfway point, and that is exactly what Italian metal 3D printing specialist Sisma is targeting with their new large volume mysint300 metal 3D printer.
Sisma, of course, is no stranger to 3D printing as a key partner of metal specialist Trumpf. They have been developing laser metal fusion hardware since 2011, which resulted in the excellent mysint 100 metal 3D printer back in 2014. They were also instrumental in Trumpf’s re-entry into the 3D printing sector in that same year, and the two companies set up a joint venture called Trumpf Sisma (with Trumpf taking a 55-percent share).
As such Trumpf and Sisma metal 3D printing platforms share many similarities. In fact, Sisma’s mysint100 3D printer was basically Trumpf hardware with a separate design and software platform. This new mysint300 is also inspired by Trumpf’s industry leading metal 3D printing platforms, but is more ambitious in every way. Completely aimed at the production of small and medium-sized batches, it features a (for metal 3D printers) massive 400mm tall build space with a 300mm diameter.
Along with a couple of other add-ons, this should allow for a very efficient ‘mass production’ 3D printing workflow. The 3D printer itself can operate without supervision, with finished printjobs being moved on to a separate unpacking station. There, an unpacker can clean the powder-based prints while the 3D printer continues its work. Though that unpacking station is an optional add-on, it is also the real revolutionary aspect of the mysint300 3D printer as it diminishes the labor-intensive nature of a 3D printing farm.
But it doesn’t end here. The mysint300’s mass production capacity is further supported by a new recoater that significantly reduced recoating times – increasing productivity even further. Material loading with metal powder cylinders is also simplified significantly, reducing labor intensity even further. Sisma further revealed that the platform’s round shape also ensures that powder stays in the chamber upon completion of a print job.
Thanks to these features, Sisma is taking an important step towards mass production metal 3D printing, and could provide even small businesses with a significant manufacturing boost. The 3D printer itself will be launched at Formnext in Frankfurt next week, alongside various other Sisma innovations. In fact, they are also showcasing a new myrev SLA 3D printer that is also intended for mass production. In a similar twist, this myrev 3D printer features automatically switching printing to make unsupervised 3D printing possible for longer periods of time. Sisma is further launching special resins for dental and jewelry applications. One thing seems certain: Sisma believes the future of 3D printing is in mass production.
Posted in 3D Printer
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