Apium sponcon - 1
Apium Additive Technologies, leader in High Performance Polymer processing, sets a new level in material extrusion technology. The new Apium P400, which extends Apium's industrial 3D-printer portfolio, delivers outstanding layer adhesion powered by its next generation adaptive zone heating system, resulting in maximised printed part strength and quality.
Equal material properties in all directions as known from conventionally manufactured parts can be expected. The next generation zone heater impresses with its power, agility and efficiency. Temperatures more than 500°C can be applied almost instantaneously. Therefore, the zone heating system avoids the disadvantages of heated build chambers such as time and energy consuming heating and cooling of the entire build volume. Another advantage of applying the adaptive zone heater is achieving the best ratio of surface quality and mechanical strength for large parts as well as small geometries, especially when it comes to processing high performance materials such as PEEK (Polyetheretherketon) and further technical semi-crystalline thermoplastics like Polyamids. The materials to be processed are stored in an integrated drying unit. The dried and preconditioned material is directly fed into the system ready for print. The dryer can go up to 150°C to eliminate any residual humidity even from highly hygroscopic filament types and stores four spools of material from 500g to 2.5 kg sizes, ready for the next print job.
In terms of multi-material processing, an independent dual extruder system (IDEX) is used. The IDEX enables the processing of at least two separate materials while ensuring a homogeneous condition of the deposited material. Successful multi-material prints require a precise print head alignment, which is achieved by an integrated optical calibration system. Automatic bed leveling and sensors for monitoring the print process are essential for smooth printing. In addition, the integrated software tracks the status of consumables and maintenance parts.
The IDEX system significantly increases the P400’s production capacity when printing the same part simultaneously with the second print head, making the P400 the ideal choice for small to medium batch sizes. The Apium P400 has minimal infrastructure requirements to get up and running. All mechanical components have been designed for continuous operation. High-quality linear rails and servo motors ensure high print quality and low maintenance requirements. Moreover, tracking and switching the nozzles and their dedicated materials can be done seamlessly. Switched nozzles are stored comfortably in the integrated tool drawer, while the printer remembers the matching of nozzle and material. Since the P400 is an open system, there are no restrictions on using custom materials or slicing software of any kind. Self-developed print tools can be easily integrated as well.
In summary, the P400s outstanding layer adhesion powered by its next generation adaptive zone heating system, combined with its unprecedented flexibility in terms of print head selection, promotes the P400 as a multi-functional additive manufacturing system. The P400 sets a new platform for the future integration of upcoming tools, which allows for multiple processing capabilities for various thermoplastic materials.
