When we say the UK is a powerhouse for additive manufacturing research, this is the sort of thing we're talking about.
At TCT 3Sixty this week, new company Lasefinity has launched a desktop-sized metal 3D printer that aims to make metal AM more accessible.
The Sheffield-based outfit is a product of Manufacturing Made Easy Ltd, a specialist in research-driven, open-architecture manufacturing systems.
Making its debut is the Lasefinity Fusion X, a laser powder bed fusion system equipped with a 500W fiber laser with adjustable beam spot from 50 to 200 µm, and an 100 x 100 x 80 mm build volume that fits comfortably on a worktop, ideal for labs and smaller companies. It's being introduced for £19,999 - an early bird rate - with a 12-month warranty and training programme included.
The system has been developed by a team of academics from different UK universities. Prveen Bidare, Lasefinity CTO, who TCT met with on the company's booth at the NEC, is also a Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, and previously worked at the University of Birmingham and Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh where he did a PhD focused on laser powder fusion.
"Small companies, small workshops, if they want to adopt 3D printing, especially metal 3D printing, this would be a very interesting tool for them," Bidare told TCT of the Lasefinity Fusion X. "Also, anybody looking for training purposes, these small machines are very good because you need a very small amount of powder to run this machine and a very small amount of resources."
They've packed a lot into this little 600 × 650 × 860 mm machine, including real-time layer-by-layer oversight via integrated sensors that track laser power, scan speed, chamber atmosphere, and powder spread quality; a sealed inert gas chamber with N₂ or Ar atmosphere; a permanent filtration system that delivers over 30,000-hours of operation; and an upper-feed soft blade system that ensures powder layers with uniform thickness and minimal disturbance to sintered layers.
There's also a WireX version, a wire-fed Direct Energy Deposition system, which is being brought to market at the same entry price point. Using 0.4-0.8 mm wire as its feedstock, the WireX is being positioned as a safer alternative to powder-based processes for users working in university research, technical education, and vocational training. Both are launching with a 20% discount (regular price will be £24,999) and are available to order now.
Both machines are open for use with any consumables, though the company specifically lists stainless steel, titanium, superalloys, and high-entropy alloys as compatible materials for the Fusion X, and users also have the ability to develop their own parameters. Bidare said the company is also offering additional flexibility with its 'adoptability' approach, including leasing, renting, and application development options. It's also doing away with heavy maintenance fees. Instead, Bidare said Lasefinity wants to "empower the customer" to maintain the machine for themselves with the help of support materials such as video tutorials and manuals.
"A lot of industries, small companies and universities have approached us," Bidare tells me of the reaction at TCT 3Sixty so far. "They want to have such a system, which is very interesting for us and we would love to work with them. We have a facility in Sheffield where we do very interesting research and we are also working on single wire, single laser systems and making laser power fusion processes much more affordable and much more productive."
Lasefinity is exhibiting alongside Broder Metals on stand #FF20.
