3D printed four port connector cap
At ACHEMA 2018, DWK Life Sciences will reveal its new labware product manufactured using metal 3D printing.
DWK Life Sciences, part of the DURAN brand, is known for creating innovative glass labware products. For the first time ever, the company has been able to successfully design a fully functional 4-port GL 45 bottle connector cap with 3D printing in medical grade 316L stainless steel.
“Development of new lab ware, especially glass products, is traditionally a slow process,” says Alistair Rees, DURAN product manager. “In contrast, the development time for the 3D printed connector cap was very short: from the first idea to the final printed product only took about two months.”
Previously the GL 45 caps have been manufactured using conventional machining and welding processes. Originally, the component weighed around 150 grams but now the new AM connector weighs just 50 grams - a reduction of more around two-thirds. Every batch takes 51 hours to print using an EOS system, with a software controlled 400 Watt laser which melts the stainless steel powder into the exact shape defined for the product. The material cools immediately and the connector is then finished using physical and electro-chemical processes.
The new DURAN Stainless steel 4-Port connector cap GL will be available for demonstration on the DWK Life Sciences stand B7 Hall 4.1, at ACHEMA from the 11-15 in June in Frankfurt Germany.
