Rapid Fusion has announced the launch of its Apollo large-format additive manufacturing technology.
The UK-based company, the sister business of 3D printing hardware supplier EVO 3D, is said to have invested more than 500,000 GBP to bring to market its robotic 3D printing technology, which is targeting the rapid production of large parts and moulds for manufacturers in automotive, aerospace and furniture.
“I’ve been involved in the sector for some time and companies were continually asking for a product that offered them an automated large format solution,” founder Jake Hand said. “Nobody was doing anything like this in the UK, so we thought…you know what, let’s see what we can do, and our Apollo system represents a massive innovation that promises to disrupt the status quo.”
Built and assembled in the UK, Apollo uses pellet extrusion printing (including its TCT Award-winning PE320 Pellet Extruder), a tailored control system, and Kuka robotic arm to enable the production of parts within a 2 x 3 x 3 metre build volume. Rapid Fusion claims the technology can deliver speeds ‘nearly 200 times quicker’ than current FDM printers, and can potentially provide ‘significant cost savings’ through its pellet feedstock, which is believed to cost 65%-90% less than filament. The company says this includes the use of ‘hundreds of different engineering-grades polymers.’
The system will retail at 250,000 GBP and Hand believes the company can expect more than 4 million GBP worth of sales in its first year with international reseller agreements already in place with CNC World in the UK, Hyperion in Australia, Maptec in Dubai and ACCUFACTURE in USA.
Hand continued: “There are also a lot of domestic opportunities, and this is just the start. Our R&D team are already working on the next generation of systems, which have the potential to push innovation even further.
“This will include the possibility of integrating CNC machining into our solutions and an exciting Innovate UK-backed project that will herald the launch of Evo 1.”
The Evo 1, a gantry style large-format 3D printer, was announced last summer after Evo 3D received 1.1 million GBP in funding from Innovate UK in a project with Rolls-Royce, Baker Hughes, and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland.