F E AT U R E
Material Savings
A new SLS platform from 3D Systems was used to produce
the pump part shown here without tooling. This process is
designed to generate a lot of parts fast while producing
only about 20 percent material waste.
Of note is the pump's complex shape, which
would typically require long lead times if tooling
were needed, but no tooling was required. This
part is strong enough to use directly in the feld on
a machine or an engine, according to the company.
The ProX 500 3D printer used to produce this
part builds on the company's patented SLS
technology and, together with its newly developed
DuraForm ProX materials, can deliver end-use-ready
thermoplastic parts more quickly and more accurately
than previous 3D printers.
Machining Hidden Features
DMG Mori's Lasertech 65 hybrid solution can do rough
machining, deposition and fnishing on one machine, allowing
a part such as the one pictured here to be built and machined
with fve axes. The additive features grown off of the central
OD show the machine's ability to reorient the part to build
in different directions within the cycle. The drilled holes and
milled mating surfaces were created using the machine's
conventional machining capability.
Parts such as this can be built as much as 20 times faster
than with powder bed solutions, DMG Mori says. Parts can
also be built up in sections, with
milling operations used on important
areas in between. Support structures
are not necessary, and wall thickness can range from 0.5 to 5 mm
(0.020 to 0.2 inch).
Dr. Greg Hyatt, DMG Mori's chief
technology offcer, explains that
an advantage of this process is that
it can be used to build up a number
of layers, of the same or various
alloys, which can then be machined
to the required accuracy before the
next layers are added. These part areas would not normally
be accessible for milling cutters, meaning hidden features can
now be machined.
10— AM Supplement