Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a area of ever-growing significance, with many startups and current firms looking for to both enhance on current AM applied sciences or market new approaches. On the RAPID + TCT 2024 tradeshow evidently we bought two extra new AM approaches to regulate to see how they develop. These are powder-based Sizzling Isostatic Urgent (HIP) by Grid Logic and centrifugal 3D printing by Fugo Precision.
Grid Logic’s HIP makes use of binder-less powders in sealed containers which might be compressed and deposited right into a HIP can in response to the design being printed, adopted by the HIP course of. It is a frequent post-processing step exterior of AM as properly, however right here HIP is used as the first technique in what looks like a finances model of typical powder sintering AM printers. Doubtlessly it received’t be ‘hobbyist low-cost’, but it surely guarantees to permit for printing ceramic and metallic elements with minimal wasted powder, which is a significant concern with present powder-based sintering printers.
Whereas Grid Logic’s method is comparatively conservative, Fugo’s Mannequin A printer utilizing centrifugal printing is certainly making an attempt to tell apart itself. It makes use of 20 lasers that are claimed to realize 30 µm accuracy in all instructions with a velocity of 1 mm/minute. It competes with SLA printers, which additionally signifies that it really works with photopolymers, however somewhat than messing with FEP movie and pesky Earth gravity, it makes use of a spinning drum to create its personal gravitational parameters, together with a built-in elements cleansing and curing system. They declare that this technique requires 50% fewer helps whereas printing a lot sooner than competing business SLA printers.
Even when not instantly related to AM fanatics, it’s good to see new concepts being tried within the hope that they are going to make AM higher for all of us.
