Keeping up with the Newest in Metal Printing

These newly released products are making additive manufacturing of metal parts a more affordable and viable option.

3D Printer Enables Large-Format Metal Printing

Offered by Velo3D (velo3d.com), the Sapphire XC 1MZ 3D printer allows customers to print parts up to 1 m (3.28 ft) in height. Offering a large build volume, the laser powder bed fusion printer is 600 × 1000 mm (24 × 39 in.). Other features of the printer include eight 1-kW lasers, Flow™ print preparation and Assure™ quality-assurance software, a faster noncontact recoater to decrease the time required between build layers, and increased throughput of up to 400% over the original Sapphire and Sapphire 1MZ printers. The printer is offered in the following materials: aluminum F357, Amperprint® 0233 Haynes® 282, GRCop-42, Hastelloy® C-22® and X, Inconel® 625 and 718, Scalmalloy®, and titanium 6AI-4V Grade 5. The Sapphire family of printers is comprised of four system variations that are fully compatible with one another, running the same processes across all printers in a way that delivers consistent results on any machine. As customers validate one printer for production use, it is simple to add additional printers to increase productivity.

The Sapphire XC 1MZ 3D printer by Velo3D.

Kit Helps Users Switch to Metal 3D Printing

Produced by Ultimaker BV (ultimaker.com), the Metal Expansion Kit makes metal 3D printing more accessible by equipping users with the items and software features needed to expand printer capabilities beyond thermoplastics. The kit comes with everything required for metal parts preparation, from printing to accessing postprocessing services. This includes materials and a set of dedicated print cores for the Ultrafuse® metal and support filaments. The materials are automatically recognized by the printer through near-field communication and enable switching between printing plastics and metal on one machine. The DD 0.4 wear-resistant print cores can be replaced like any other print core or filament without the need for permanent hardware modifications. Additionally, the kit comes with the Ultimaker Cura slicing software and is compatible with the Ultimaker S5 platform. It is designed to help engineers produce applications capable of high mechanical stress and thermal resistance.

The Metal Expansion Kit by Ultimaker BV.

Fiber Laser Suits a Range of Applications

Created by TRUMPF (trumpf.com), the 2-kW TruFiber 2000 P fiber laser works for many applications, ranging from laser cutting to laser welding and additive manufacturing. It is equipped with the TruControl laser controller, which offers convenient startup of the laser and storage of up to 1000 different laser programs. The laser also features an inherent power stability over an eight-hour shift to eliminate the effects of diode aging. This power stability can be improved using the Automatic Laser Power Control option. Its range of coolant temperatures from 18° to 30°C (64° to 86°F) allows operation in most ambient conditions using easily available coolant supplies. Additionally, the laser offers all the relevant interface buses and comes with an optical laser cable length as long as 10 m (almost 33 ft) for enhanced flexibility.

The TruFiber 2000 P fiber laser by TRUMPF.