Formnext preview: SondaSys 01 SLS 3D printer, Sharebot Antares SLA, atum3D's DLP Station 5, SABIC's new filament

Oct 31, 2017 | By David

Formnext is one of the popular manufacturing conferences, and recent years have seen the latest cutting-edge 3D printing developments become one of the trade show’s major draws. This year will be no exception, with a host of businesses both large and small showing off their most recent breakthroughs, in the fields of 3D printing hardware, software and materials. Here’s a quick round-up of four exciting 3D printing companies that will be exhibiting their work in Frankfurt from November 14-17: SondaSys, Sharebot, SABIC and atum 3D.

1.Poland's SondaSys new SLS 3D printer

Polish manufacturer SondaSys is hoping to generate some serious buzz around its newest product, the SondaSys 01. Making use of Selective Laser Sintering technology, it represents a significant milestone, as Poland’s first ever 3D printing system designed for industrial applications.

Over three year’s research and development went into the SondaSys 01 3D printer, with the company’s team of specialists and engineers who can boast over 10 years experience in the industry. These experts knew what the manufacturing world needed from an industrial-grade SLS machine, and they tailored the SondaSys to meet these requirements in the best possible way.

The 3D printer can boast the most advanced optics system available on the global market, enabling a high level of precision in printing. The SondaSys 01 is also compatible with a huge range of polyamide powders from different manufacturers. Customers will be able to edit the print paramaters as they see fit, allowing them to choose their materials freely according to what their project requires.

The SondaSys 01 makes use of an innovative heating system to ensure a safe operation environment, and it has two exchangeable working chambers to optimize costs and reduce waste. The proprietary software will allow users to preview the print process in real time.

The company will be revealing all the rest of the details about the SondaSys 01 at Formnext.

2. Sharebot Antares SLA professional 3D printer

Sharebot has two new products to demonstrate at Formnext, one of which has never been seen before. The Sharebot Antares is a professional-grade 3D printer that makes use of SLA technology, and is intended to be used with the dedicated PR-S resin. The leading Italian manufacturer’s new stereolithography machine can create models on a large scale, up to 250 x 250 x 250 mm. The 3D printer is fully compatible with all the
main slicing softwares (Kissslicer, Slic3r, Simplify3D and Cura) and can be managed remotely.

The company’s other new 3D printer, the Sharebot QXXL, was already unveiled to some fanfare at the TCT show in Birmingham and recently hit the market. A more advanced version of the Sharebot Q, it’s an FFF machine that can print on a huge scale, with a build volume of 700 x 400 x 300 mm. This should completely revolutionize the way many manufacturing projects operate, with the printing bed auto-calibration system and the proprietary Sharebox 3D interface enabling an optimized and streamlined workflow.

Also at the show, Sharebot will be showing off its other professional 3D printing systems, including the Snow White, an SLS machine intended for research and materials development, and the 3Delux, a specialized machine for dentistry applications that makes use of DLP technology.

3.SABIC to launch new high-impact strength filament for additive manufacturing

SABIC is set to launch its new 3D printing material at Formnext. The latest product from the Saudi chemicals company will be a high-impact strength filament for a range of FDM additive manufacturing applications. The material will be suitable for the aerospace, consumer and automotive sectors, and is the first in a series of differentiated materials SABIC plans to launch in the coming year.

SABIC’s portfolio of 3D printing materials is already extensive and impressive, and this new filament will expand its reach, with an extra level of impact resistance that few other filaments on the market can rival. It is currently offering six other filaments, which are designed for use with Stratasys’ Fortus range of 3D printers. These filaments are based on the company’s high-performance polycarbonate (PC), polyetherimide (PEI), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and polyphenylene ether (PPE) engineering resins.

As well as demonstrating ways that its new filament can be used at Formnext, SABIC will also be showing off parts that were printed using its other materials, at its Additive Manufacturing Centers of Excellence in Pittsfield in Massachusetts and Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands. These include fully amorphous PC parts printed by SLS, and a cross-section of a prototype yacht hull. This latter object was designed by Livrea Yacht and Autodesk, and it was printed on SABIC’s Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) printer.

4. atum3D announces DLP Station 5, Operator Station software and Industry Excellence Packs

Dutch manufacturer atum3D will be demonstrating a variety of new products and services at this year’s show. In terms of hardware, the DLP Station 5 machine will be the company’s latest addition. It’s the follow-up to last year’s successful DLP Station 4 3D printer, offering a new higher-powered light source that will provide better accuracy and speed in printing results. The DLP Station 5 is available in a standard 405nm wavelength version, as well as a 365nm wavelength version, depending on the applications. It also has an open resin platform, meaning that a wider range of materials can be used.

atum3D is also releasing new Operator Station Software to complement its latest 3D printing system. The proprietary software uses the company’s MAGS AI technology, which is designed to optimize and speed up build preparation and post-processing.

Another exciting breakthrough to be unveiled will be atum3D’s new Industry Excellence Packs. These industry-specific packs are intended to introduce 3D printing technology into a company’s workflow, explaining how atum 3D software, hardware, materials and services can be combined to update their operations. Packs have been made for product design, dentistry, jewellery, and general industrial manufacturing, with more likely to follow in the near future.

According to Guy Nyssen, Channel Manager at atum3D, “We can’t wait to showcase the results of our team’s hard work in Frankfurt...It’s fitting that all three pillars on which atum3D is built, being our in-house expertise in the fields of hardware engineering, software development, and resin chemicals, all contributed to the innovations show at formnext. We strive to offer exceptional accuracy, speed and cost effectiveness and make our customer’s life easy through training, services and support. The new DLP Station, Operator Station software and Industry Excellence Packs do just that.”

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