Since raising €1.9 million in funding via venture capitalist firmbtov Partnersin July 2020, German 3D printing bureauHeadmadehas raised eyebrows across the additive manufacturing industry.
In particular, the company’s Cold Metal Fusion (CMF) 3D printing technology raises a lot of questions. Headmade is encouraging customers to reassess the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) production method via a new set of system parameters and a polymer-infused powder. So what exactly is CMF? and what is Headmade trying to achieve with its new take on SLS?
这里是Headmade Co -回答所有这些问题founder and CEO Christian Staudigel. Speaking to 3D Printing Industry, Staudigel explained the potential of CMF, and elaborated on the firm’s broader goals and objectives.
“Our sinter-based Cold Metal Fusion technology has been developed for the serial production of up to 100,000 metal parts per year, all by using an existing ecosystem of machines and processes,” said Staudigel. “This allows customers to scale from a very capital-efficient entry point, all the way to a very high production output.”
“We have ambitions to play a key-role in the reinvention of the manufacturing market.”
Investment and innovation at Headmade
Headmade was established in Wuerzburg, Germany, in 2019 after being spun off from the local polymer research instituteDas Kunststoff-Zentrum（SKZ）。Staudigel五年前开始与CMF背后的技术开发，同时与SKZ的联合创始人克里斯蒂安·菲舍尔（Christian Fischer）一起工作。
通过这样一种想法，即可能的串行3D打印是可能的，这对设计了一个过程，该过程将使增材制造更便宜且比以前更容易访问。他们努力工作和创新的结果是CMF 3D打印，这种方法将金属烧结与SLS与新型制造技术结合在一起。
Now having raised €1.9 million of investment, the start-up is stepping away from SKZ to establish its own facility and become fully independent. Leveraging the additional funding, the pair intend to “scale-up” their technology, by developing the firm’s customer and marketing services into a broader network. With further funding rounds in the future, Staudigel believes that Headmade could expand further into a number of new markets and territories.
“We have been working on the technology for five years and the partnership with btov Partners now gives us the opportunity to accelerate the company’s development, and realize our vision of 3D series production,” said Staudigel. “But the partnership with btov Partners is just the first step, and we expect to raise additional funds in 2021 to market our technology and products in the most important markets.”
Cold Metal Fusion 3D printing technology
The main difference between Headmade’s CMF technology and conventional SLS manufacturing is the company’s proprietary 3D printing material. Headmade’s metal powder feedstock is integrated with a plastic binder matrix that improves its flowability, and increases the number of machines that it’s compatible with.
The overall four-step CMF process begins with upscaling the CAD file of a target object, a step that is required to account for the shrinkage caused by the resin’s plastic binder. In a similar approach to SLS 3D printing, the part is then produced in a layer-by-layer fashion, but at a temperature below 80oC. Operating at a lower temperature minimizes heating and cooling times significantly, and prevents the need for external cooling devices.
“尽管有粉末成分和调整后的处理参数，但与用户操作普通SLS 3D打印机没有什么不同。”
“Lower temperatures offer advantages such as energy and time savings, as well as reduced wear and lower requirements to the SLS system regarding components and isolation,” said Staudigel. “So we designed our feedstock for low-temperature SLS processing, but of course we still bring temperature into our process in the later sintering steps.”
Following the initial printing phase, fabricated parts are then de-caked, post-processed, debinded, and sintered. The plastic binder contained within Headmade’s proprietary powder resin is used only as a support structure, and makes no difference to the makeup of the final component. As a result, the polymer is completely melted away during printing, leaving parts that are reportedly comparable to those produced using injection molding.
使用现有的3D打印机为客户提供支持
切换到CMF不需要用户引入任何其他构建板或支持结构，这意味着可以在任何SLS机器中应用该过程。结果，该公司的支持服务针对的是寻求通过升级而不是更换现有3D打印机来节省资金的客户。
“Since the core of the process lies on our Headmade feedstock the aim is to empower our costumers to produce their parts themselves,” said Staudigel. “We have the Know-How as well as the process chain to support them in construction, processing, and also producing test parts and small series manufacturing.”
With the main difference between ordinary SLS production and CMF being Headmade’s binder-infused resin, the firm currently provides a support service rather than a manufacturing one. According to Staudigel, Headmade is prepared to work with a range of industry partners in future, in order to provide the fullest suite of solutions possible for its clients.
“If an in-house production is not what our customers desire, we can come broaden our network,” concluded Staudigel, “Then we can connect them to service providers to establish a supply chain for their specific needs.”
Ongoing research into optimizing SLS 3D printing
近年来，许多研究人员和增材制造公司采取了自己的方法来优化SLS印刷。尽管SLS的核心层面原理经常在实验系统中维持，但它们还具有增强的材料兼容性和一系列其他功能。
Researchers fromColumbia University’s School of Engineeringhave demonstrated a新颖的SLS打印过程这使多个粉末可以在相同的打印运行中烧结。通过将激光倒入SLS系统中，以使其向上指向，团队能够创建包含同一层中两个不同聚合物的原型。
3D打印机制造商Aerosinthas introduced amulti-powder SLS printing alternativenamed ‘Selective Powder Deposition.’ Consisting of a powder dispenser and patterning drums, the company’s method selectively deposits fine powder to make multi-metal 3D printed parts.
German 3D printer OEMEOShas developed its patentedEOSTATE内部监视套件使用多年的数据，以使SLS打印过程中确定违规行为。利用集成相机，用户可以快速识别不完整的层，并停止该过程以纠正任何问题。
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特色图像显示了使用其CMF技术将3D打印到零件上的头饰徽标。通过头饰照片。
