3D Printers

Optomec推出紧凑型CS250和工业HC-TBR镜头金属3D打印机

定向能量沉积(DED)和气溶胶喷气打印(AJP)金属3D打印机开发人员Optomechas launched two new iterations of its LENS additive manufacturing systems.

Optomec的CS250机器是一种紧凑的面向研究的打印机,配有四个集成粉末喂食器,而其HC-TBR系统则是为大容量应用而设计的。后者具有钛零件的集成视觉系统和自动化模块,使用户能够在惰性气氛中连续操作机器。

“ HC-TBR是第一台能够大量生产的机器,用于铝和钛等反应金属。”Optomec市场总监Mike Dean说。“我们已经看到,客户对这些材料的需求有很大增加,并期望随着制造商的重量设计较轻,这种趋势将继续下去。”

Optomec’s new HC-TBR system (pictured) features an automated module that allows titanium parts to be processed without manual handling. Photo via Optomec.

Optomec’s LENS DED 3D printing technology

LENS is Optomec’s proprietary DED 3D printing process, which uses a metal powdered feedstock, that is blown through a nozzle and melted on contact with a laser array, to fabricate complex parts. The technology is particularly useful for adding material to pre-existing objects, which has often led to its application withinMaintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO)operations.

In addition to LENS, the company markets its AJP-based machines, which are capable of printing electronics directly onto 3D objects. These systems have been applied to manufacture a variety of electronic products such ashigh-resolution circuits,应变传感器andwireless Bluetooth transceiversamongst others.

最近,Optomec试图通过各种升级来扩大机器的速度和兼容性。例如,该公司发布了Autocladintegrated vision softwarein November 2019, which generates a custom toolpath for each part prior to processing.

In terms of compatibility, the company has also developed parameters for processingpure copper parts, and released another update in May, that enabled users to depositany aluminum alloy。With the launch of its new CS250 and HC-TBR systems, Optomec has now built machines that have been optimized for rapidly producing metal parts, that may be sensitive to atmospheric conditions.

Optomec's DED technology has often been used for aerospace MRO purposes in the past, and its new HC-TBR machine could be used within similar applications. Photo via Optimec.
过去,Optomec的DED技术通常用于航空MRO目的,现在可以在类似的设置中应用其新的HC-TBR机器。通过Optimec的照片。

Optomec的新CS250和HC-TBR 3D打印机

According to the company, its two new systems have been built to offer “unparalleled” functionality, flexibility and performance. Both machines are based on its proprietary LENS DED technology, and the duo feature the same 250 x 250 x 250 mm build volume, which is well-suited to repairing parts and small component production.

Similarly, both the systems are set to be available in either three axis or five axis versions, and will be shipped with a new “next generation” print head. The enhanced apparatus is capable of automatically changing the laser’s size and intensity during printing, which allows different areas of a component to be fabricated with varying levels of detail.

The main focus of the two machines is their inert processing capability, that enables them to print reflective alloys such as copper and titanium, or common metals like steels or nickels. Optomec’s latest LENS printers utilize this technology in different ways, and the CS250 is a compact all-in-one system that’s been optimized for alloy development in research labs.

同时,HC-TBR是一种以工业为导向的3D打印机,其特征是自动化模块,它允许在无需手动加载的情况下处理对大气敏感的零件。此外,为了简化其引入自动工作单元的引入,HC-TBR具有自动式前卫门,可以通过机器人打开和封闭。

For repair applications, Optomec’s new LENS system includes an integrated vision system run by its AutoCLAD software, which creates a custom toolpath for each part it encounters. The program actively compensates for part-to-part variation, while minimizing heat input into the component, by creating an “additive repair recipe” for each individual fabricated object.

The continued advance of DED technologies

Optomec并不是唯一一家在DED 3D打印方面取得进步的公司,其他许多研究人员和公司目前正在开发自己的技术变体。

Metal 3D printing companyMeltio的M450系统,for example,结合粉和wire-based d技术take advantage of the benefits of both. In fact, its Meltio Engine can even be retrofitted to CNC machines, robots, and gantry systems, enabling them to 3D print full density metal parts.

TheFraunhofer激光技术研究所正在开发极端高速版的DED,最近已被Gripper制造商采用BILSING自动化。该研究所与英国,中国和德国的合作伙伴合作,试图扩大其新的3D打印技术的工业应用。

Elsewhere,Additeclaunched its morevalue-oriented μPrinterin November 2019, which operates using a single central DED nozzle with two different openings for a wire or powder feed. By keeping the feeds separate, it allows users to easily switch between the two, depending on the desired outcome of the print.

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Featured image shows Optomec’s new CS250 LENS 3D printer. Photo via Optomec.