Metal additive manufacturing firm AltForm is to introduce the ZENIT Modular at Formnext next week.
The ZENIT Modular is a series of three DED systems which boast varying build volumes.
ZENIT L has a 2 x 2 metre build space and utilises one robot; ZENIT XL has a 4 x 2 metre build envelope and utilises two robots; and ZENIT XXL has a 4 x 4 metre build volume and uses a four-robot configuration that can work independently on up to four parts or focus on the same build.
The company says the ZENIT Modular series has been developed for aerospace, defence, and energy manufacturers who need to process reactive materials on large components and add capacity without replacing the system they already own. Modules can be added after purchase, meaning manufacturers can start with the size needed today and expand the work area and robot count as demand increases.
ZENIT L, left, and Zenit XL, right.
Each ZENIT Modular cell features an inert chamber, with deposition occurring within a controlled atmosphere that allows for the processing of titanium and aluminium alloys. Robots are ceiling-mounted as standard, but floor-mounted robots are available ‘when the part requires it’, and a rotary-tilt table can be integrated in either configuration. The cell is available in single-process and multi-process configurations, covering powder DED, wire DED and WAAM, and runs on a Siemens SINUMERIK ONE CNC.
ZENIT Modular machines are said to have already been deployed, with ‘leading players’ in aerospace and defence among the first customers.
“A year ago, we came to Formnext with a new name. This year, we bring an answer to a concrete need of our aerospace and defence customers: large components in reactive alloys, produced on a system that grows with them,” said AltForm CEO Paolo Calefati. “With ZENIT Modular, a manufacturer invests at the size it needs today and expands without starting over. The first cells are already sold to leading companies in the sector, and that tells us the market was waiting for this approach.”
The company will showcase the ZENIT Modular technology at Formnext, alongside its Print Sharp 200 and Print Brilliance 400 metal powder bed fusion systems, from Hall 12.0, Booth E139.
