Additive Industries MetalFAB1
Metal additive manufacturing company, Additive Industries has been presenting its new four full-field laser version of the MetalFAB1 machine at RAPID+TCT this week.
Launched on the first day of the expo, the second day of the entire RAPID event, the updated MetalFAB1 is said to increase productivity, offer maximum flexibility and prevent stitching.
Engineers from the Dutch company have managed to design the build chamber and optical sets for full field use of all four lasers. This enables users to print large parts without stitching or being restricted in their manufacturing phase. All lasers can be used on the full build plate and automatic laser-to-laser self-calibration ensures a tight alignment.
Meanwhile, the modular architecture offers Additive Industries’ customers to start with one or two lasers, and add more lasers later. Also, should one laser become faulty, the other lasers will pick up the workload, finishing the build job after an automatic reassignment of the lasers.
In Q1 of 2016, the MetalFAB1 was delivered to Airbus, with seven more being successfully implemented since. Five MetalFAB1 machines have been tested intensively by Beta customers, and BMW, among others, has successfully installed the production series system.
Additive Industries says customer feedback has given the company the confidence to officially launch the four full-field laser solution at RAPID+TCT 2017. This option is available for all MetalFAB1 configurations, from the Process & Application Development Tool to the full scale production versions.
