ARBURGadditive is set to expand its additive manufacturing machine offering with the launch of the Freeformer 550-3X.
The system, which will make its debut in prototype form at this year’s Formnext, is based on the plastics processing company’s plastic granule-based Arburg Plastic Freeforming technology. It’s deemed to be a more accessible version of the larger Freeformer 750-3X and will replace the Freeformer 200-3X in Arburg’s 3D printer line-up.
According to a press release, the 550-3X features a build volume of 230 x 230 x 230 mm and comes equipped with two discharge units. It’s said to be capable of processing a range of plastic granulate materials, including an original medical material which Arburg says it will demonstrate on the show floor with examples of resorbable medical implants.
But Arburg says the biggest addition is the Gestica control system, which is designed to support the operator, including non-experts, throughout setup and build to ensure ease of use and reliable printing.
“The new Freeformer 550-3X is an industrial machine with features that will enable even unskilled workers to quickly and reliably print high-quality functional parts,” says Simon Leitl, Director Development APF at ARBURGadditive. “One major advantage is that we can draw on a wealth of expertise and exploit synergies with the world of injection moulding, for example in the areas of control systems, automation, turnkey solutions and digitalisation.”
In addition to a new Freeformer platform, the company will be demonstrating 3D printing in aerospace-approved Ultem 9085 on the 750-3X, and how breakaway supports printed in this material can be used multiple times over in the form of flakes. It will also show TR 90, a material which has been approved for food and water usage, and an amorphous PA 12 collaboration with Ems Chemie which is being applied to flexible and chemical-resistant frames for sports glasses.
Other notable exhibits include results from the ‘Seestern’ project, a hybrid printing collaboration which combines the Freeformer with StarJet technology from the Freiburg Institute for Microsystems Technology for structural electronics. StarJet features a star-shaped nozzle through which releases metal droplets to form conductive electronic components. The aim is to integrate StarJet into the build chamber and control system of the Freeformer to enable the single-step production of multi-material hybrid components such as hybrid sensors.