laseradd dimetal-100
The DiMetal-100 platform at TCT Asia
Laseradd Technology, a Chinese company specialising in Selective Laser Melting (SLM) systems, has debuted four machines at TCT Asia.
The company was founded a little over a year ago, and comprises 20 people with 14 years experience with the technology. It is bringing to market the DiMetal series of 3D printers and a machine that melts metal material and sinters ceramics. With numerous units set to be shipped later this year, and a further three machines to be launched next year, Laseradd is looking to make a global impact.
At TCT Asia, the DiMetal-50; DiMetal-100; DiMetal 300/500; and the SLS-400 have been drawing large crowds. The machines's names are derived from their build volumes: the DiMetal-50 having a 50 x 50 x 50 mm build space, the DiMetal-100 boasting a 100 x 100 x 100 mm build space, the 300/ 500 models with 250 x 250 x 300 mm and 500 x 250 x 300 mm build volumes respectively, and the SLS with a 400 x 400 x 400 mm build space.
laseradd dimetal-50
The DiMetal-50, Laseradd's best-selling machine.
The DiMetal-50 is the company's best-seller, having already received five orders. Its popularity is such because it provides the most detailed prints of Laseradd's repertoire, achieving layer thickness as low as 20 microns and boasting a 70W laser with the option for a 200W one. Among others, it is able to support stainless steel alloys, titanium alloys, and cobalt-chromium alloys. The machine is best suited to the manufacture of smaller, precise products, like those required and desired in the dental and jewellery industries.
Laseradd's second most popular machine is the DiMetal-100, which has attracted a manufacturer in the UK. Like the DiMetal-50, it is best utilised by dental and jewellery professionals, as well as for orthopaedic professionals. Also able to achieve a layer thickness of 20 microns, the machine boasts a 500W laser, with the option to change to a 200W version. It supports a similar range of materials to the smaller DiMetal-50 machine, but because of its larger build volume can cater for a wider range of applications.
The DiMetal 300 and 500 machines boast a 500W laser and support a similar range of materials as the other systems in the series. It is best applied in the manufacture of moulds and functional automotive and aerospace parts, but its most significant feature is its multi-material printing capabilities. Users can manufacture parts in a single material, between two and four materials for gradient building, and between one and four materials with them forming at different positions.
Metal model printed by Laseradd
Meanwhile, the SLS-400 machine being showcased on the Laseradd stand was that of a customer in the nuclear industry who has been using the system for the last three months. It has mainly been used to manufacture a casing product in tungsten, to ensure strength and durability. In addition to metal materials, the printer supports ceramics, nylons and polymers, and can be applied in the medical, aerospace, and automotive industries, as well as nuclear power generation.
All of the machines boast a gas shield protection system which sees gas brought into the build environment from above the print bed. Laseradd believes separates it from the rest of the metal additive manufacturing market. The company has made its entry into the AM industry with an emphasis on quality, and then quantity. It wants to enable the manufacture of accurate, precise, well-performing parts, and it wants to do it at scale. Details on the next three machines to be launched would not be revealed, because Laseradd wants to 'shock the market.'
