On-demand additive manufacturing service Azoth has received the first commercial XJet Carmel 1400M metal 3D printing system.
Azoth is supported by the EWIE group of companies (EGC) who are specialists in high volume metal manufacturing for the likes of Ford, Rolls Royce, Chrysler and John Deere. The company was established when EGC leaders saw the potential of additive manufacturing.
Having surveyed the market for a metal additive manufacturing technology that could address demand for small, complex and high-definition parts which could not be produced with powder bed fusion or binder jet systems, Azoth decided to pursue XJet’s Nanoparticle Jetting technology. Azoth is said to have been impressed with the technology’s ability to produce parts with small holes, sharp corners and refined surface finishes without post-processing. It also attempts wherever possible to go from prototyping to production with the same process, and deems XJet’s technology as ‘perfectly suited’ to support these efforts. With the Carmel 1400M system installed, Azoth expects the machine to help cater for the automotive, medical and tooling markets.
“We have a huge wealth of experience in metal manufacturing – with both additive and subtractive processes. XJet’s metal system delivers capabilities that are in high demand in the market, but are not achievable with other technologies,” commented Azoth CEO Scott Burk. “Parts with fine features, high resolution, good surface finish right off the printer – at a level we have not seen before. The ease-of-use and safety working with the XJet system, that does not involve handling powders, is another important factor for us.”
“Azoth is all about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in additive manufacturing, so they’re the perfect customer for our first metal AM system,” added XJet CBO Dror Danai. “Azoth is a unique operation that already has extensive experience in metal – both traditional and additive manufacturing – and is deeply involved in the manufacturing of the parts made for its customers, selecting the most appropriate technology and developing the applications. I’m eager to see how they will use the system and the new ground-breaking applications they already tested and are eager to further develop.”
XJet was talking publicly of the metal printing capability of its Nanoparticle Jetting technology as early as 2016 and spoke to TCT about its potential again in 2017. In the interim, it has been able to deliver several of its ceramic Carmel 1400C systems to market, with the likes of KU Leuven and MTC installing the platform, while it continued readying its metal systems for commercial launch. XJet announced a slight rebrand of its product line in 2019 and has now indicated the commercial launch of its metal offering with the announcement of Azoth as a user.
“We have developed the only metal AM technology available today based on the concept of direct material jetting,” offered XJet CEO Hanan Gothait. “After an amazing success with the XJet ceramic systems, we are now ready for the bigger dream, bringing to the market our metal solution. It gives me great pleasure to know that our first user of the metal AM system is Azoth, with so much experience in metal manufacturing and in metal AM. Getting the recognition from such a market leader for the quality of parts we can make has made the entire journey, and the long wait for this system worthwhile.”
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