Titan Robotics
Titan Robotics pellet
Titan Robotics has secured a strategic collaboration with Jabil Engineered Materials to develop polymer materials to support its pellet-based Atlas 3D printing systems.
Working together at Jabil’s ISO 9001 Materials Innovation Center, the partners will formulate, compound, qualify and integrate customised materials for use on Titan’s pellet extrusion platforms, such as the Atlas-H launched at Formnext Connect earlier this month. Pellet Extrusion technology is said to help increase throughput and decrease material costs, while expanding the range of materials that can be 3D printed and broadening the potential applications.
The companies have come together to engineer solutions that will help users of Atlas printers produce large-format tooling for applications in sheet metal forming, composite layups, welding fixtures, moulding and casting patters, as well as end-use components. They believe their combined expertise in materials science and robust 3D printing means the results of their partnership will be ideal for the rigorous demands within the medical, defence and aerospace industries. Already, the companies have tested and validated new pellet formulations of Jabil’s carbon fibre reinforced nylon materials, designed to produce stronger, lighter and more flexible parts, and is now set to create custom compounds to address specific customer requirements.
“Titan and Jabil are fulfilling a joint mission to move additive manufacturing into serial production and advanced manufacturing,” commented Titan Robotics Partner and CTO Bill Macy. “By choosing Jabil’s engineered materials customised for applications with high-throughput pellet printing on the Atlas, we can help customers reduce costs, create products with mass customisation, reduce cycle times and innovate quickly.”
“Jabil takes a polymer science approach to developing engineered materials,” added Matt Torosian, Director of Additive Product Management at Jabil. “All of our materials are design exclusively for additive manufacturing, so Titan receives pellets that embody all the necessary attributes to optimise performance and reliability.”
Meanwhile, Jabil has also announced the availability of PA 4535 CF filament and PA 4500 filament in new colours.
The PA 4535 CF is said to deliver increased strength and stiffness thanks to its high carbon fibre loading and provides a 40% improvement in tensile strength, impact strength, Z strength and elongation at break when compared with other products on the market. It is ESD safe and prints on open platforms like the Ultimaker S5/S3/3 machines, Method X and Raise3D platforms, and Taz systems when equipped with a steel or ruby tipped nozzle. Jabil suggests the material is suitable for aluminium replacement parts, housings requiring tight printing dimensional tolerances, jigs, fixtures and tooling, among other industrial components.
Able to print on similar 3D printing platforms, the PA 4500 filament is a low warp, neat Nylon copolymer that has strength in both XY and XZ directions, good toughness and can be used at lower processing temperatures (260-280°C). It is now available in black, blue, grey and white and is suitable for the production of parts at volumes of less than 20,000 per year with complex geometries that require good wear properties, appearance, strength and durability.
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