Nov.25, 2014
voxeljet, a leading provider of high-speed, large-format 3D printers and on-demand parts services to industrial and commercial customers, announced today a new method of 3D printing: Phenolic-Direct-Binding method.
voxeljet's 3D printers employ a powder binding method to produce parts using various material sets and proprietary chemical binding agents. The new Phenolic-Direct-Binding method not only offers key advantages for sand printing but also allows for the production of ceramic molds.
Close-up of the phenolic-bounded sand mold
"With this binder, we are able to achieve an incredible level of resolution and precision in 3D printing." said process engineer Dr. Florian Mögele. "At the same time, we have also made significant improvements in terms of stability and sand recycling. And: phenolic resin binders are ideally suited for processing ceramic and other materials."
Phenolic-bounded sand mold
The Phenolic-Direct-Binding method provides impressive accuracy and strength, especially for complex molds with undercuts, elaborate details and very small radii.
The phenolic resin is not toxic and allows for 100% recycling of non-printed particle material. In contrast to conventional binders, the PDB process does not require silica sand to be pre-treated, which means that the material that is not used can be recycled for the following print job. Another advantage is: Phenolic-Direct-Binding also allows for the unlimited use of untreated silica sands with different pH values and ceramic materials.
Unpacking process
voxeljet has announced the new development today at EuroMold, and it expects to offer the new material-set for various printer platforms by the middle of 2015. In the meantime they will work on the optimization of the process for relevant printer platforms.
Printing process with temperature management
"In PDB, temperature management plays a key role in the quality of the components. In the coming months, we will empirically calculate the optimum parameters for all voxeljet printers. This ensures that the printers reach the best possible quality using a very reliable process," says Dr. Daniel Günther, Head of Research and Development.
Posted in 3D Printing Technology
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