Layout of the new XM300 metal 3D printer
U.S. metal additive manufacturing company, Xact Metal has announced a new mid-sized machine at formnext powered by tct this week, the XM300.
The second product to come from the low-cost machine manufacturer, this larger industrial grade laser-based powder bed fusion system features a build volume of 254 x 330 x 330 mm and is designed for large-part development and production.
“The XM300 uses patent-pending Xact CoreTM technology, a highly scalable gantry system platform that allows light, simple mirrors to move quickly and consistently above the powder bed on the X-Y axis,” said Matt Woods, CTO of Xact Metal. “It’s equipped with two or four high-precision independent fiber lasers, meaning that parts can be printed up to four times faster. The system also has twin feed chambers, which lowers build time and increases productivity.”
The company filed a utility patent in May 2017 for its Xact Core technology, a system that uses a light-weight, high-speed X-Y gantry platform instead of expensive galvanometer mirrors to deliver the laser to the powder bed surface.
XM200 system at formnext
“Our machine uses two translating mirrors that deflect the beam to different locations without varying the angles of incidence, keeping the beam orthogonal to the entire build surface. This generates uniform part properties without compromising on effective fusing speed of up to 1.5 m/sec,” added Woods.
Depending on the number of lasers, the machine is expected to retail between $400,000–$600,000 which Juan Mario Gomez, CEO of Xact Metal, says “will create a new benchmark for price and performance in the metal additive manufacturing industry, boosting adoption rate of metal 3D printing across many industries.”
This is the first time the company has exhibited its technology in Mainland Europe following the launch of its first machine at RAPID + TCT in May. This week the company is showing the final production version of its XM200 machine which is set to begin shipping in Spring followed by the XM300 in fall 2018.
