Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing feature

Affordable, high-performance with new 3D printer

UltiMaker has introduced its S6 3D printer, a new addition to the company’s portfolio that combines speed, ease-of-use and flexibility. While UltiMaker continues to innovate across its ecosystem, much of the company’s focus is on enhancing productivity. The S6 delivers print speeds of up to 500 mm/s and 50,000 mm/s² acceleration with the new UltiMaker Cheetah motion planner, optimising every move for up to four times faster print times than its predecessor.

Dual extrusion capabilities add even more efficiency, enabling seamless multi-material printing. Moreover, with both print heads supported by a single material station, users can maximise the uptime of their system even further. The S6 also offers a choice of two build plates: a flexible plate for broad application versatility, and a glass plate for medical or food-packaging prints where enhanced hygiene is essential.

Designed for versatility, the S6 is fully backward compatible with the UltiMaker S5, ensuring a seamless evolution from a platform that has sold more than 40,000 units globally. Material stations, air managers, print cores and materials are interchangeable across the entire S series. And for larger manufacturing operations, previously sliced parts can be reused, keeping production flowing without the need to recreate files.

The familiar interface and ecosystem, designed for a shallow learning curve and ease-of-use, help teams get up and running quickly. Engineered for consistent, reliable results, this is the first UltiMaker printer backed by an extended 24-month warranty – double the standard – for peace of mind.

More information https://ultimaker.com/

Stratasys expands stereolithography product line

Stratasys has launched its Neo800+, the latest addition to the company’s stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer line-up. Building on the success of the Neo800, the new Neo800+ delivers fast print speeds, high part yield and low production costs, reports Stratasys, making it a powerful solution for industries that require large, accurate and repeatable high-fidelity parts. These advanced features and capabilities address evolving customer needs in applications including wind tunnel testing, prototyping and tooling.

The Neo800+ incorporates ScanControl+, a scanning technology that boosts printing speeds by up to 50%, enabling quicker production without sacrificing precision. The enhanced laser and optics system supports high-energy materials, ensuring precision part production with high surface quality.

Real-world performance benchmarks have shown ScanControl+ to improve time-to-part by 39% on average and by 44% or more on applications such as tooling moulds, depending on the materials used. The high print accuracy also minimises post-processing needs, leading to a lower total cost per part. Advanced reliability features of the Neo800+, including vacuum system protection, Z-stage collision detection and real-time environmental monitoring, further enhance uptime and consistency.

“Engineered with precision and performance in mind, the Neo800+ is designed to meet the growing demands of industries like automotive and aerospace, where high-speed production and flawless part quality are critical,” says Rich Garrity, chief business unit officer at Stratasys. “Whether you’re designing prototypes or manufacturing end-use parts, the Neo800+ delivers exceptional throughput and reliability.” 

The Neo800+ is optimised for ScanControl+ Ready Materials from Somos, ensuring part accuracy and first-time print success. Stratasys provides a complete SLA ecosystem, including CAD software and post-processing solutions to enhance SLA workflows.

More information www.stratasys.com

Latest AM solutions enable pioneering research

3D Systems is collaborating with researchers from Penn State University and Arizona State University on two projects sponsored by NASA intended to enable ground-breaking alternatives to current thermal management solutions for space exploration.

Severe temperature fluctuations in space can damage sensitive spacecraft components, resulting in mission failure. By combining deep applications expertise with 3D Systems’ additive manufacturing (AM) solutions comprising Direct Metal Printing (DMP) technology, tailored materials and Oqton’s 3DXpert software, the teams are engineering sophisticated thermal management solutions for the demands of next-generation satellites and space travel.

The project has resulted in processes to build embedded high-temperature passive heat pipes in heat rejection radiators that are additively manufactured in titanium. These heat pipe radiators are 50% lighter per area with increased operating temperatures compared with current state-of-the-art radiators, allowing them to radiate heat more efficiently for high-power systems.

Another AM project yielded a process to produce one of the first functional parts using nickel titanium (nitinol) shape memory alloys that can be passively actuated and deployed when heated. This passive shape memory alloy (SMA) radiator is projected to provide a deployed-to-stowed area ratio that is six times larger than currently available solutions, enabling future high-power communications and science missions in restricted CubeSat volume.

“Our long-standing R&D partnership with 3D Systems has enabled pioneering research for the use of 3D printing in aerospace applications,” says Alex Rattner, associate professor at Pennsylvania State University. “The collective expertise in both aerospace engineering and additive manufacturing is allowing us to explore advanced design strategies that are pushing the boundaries of what is considered state-of-the-art.”

More information www.3dsystems.com

Metal 3D printer with 12x larger volume

AddUp’s MASSIF (Metal Additive System, Sustainable, Industrial, Eco-Friendly) project supports a broader strategy to drive the next wave of industrial and technological innovation around large-format powder-bed fusion (PBF) metal additive manufacturing (up to 1.5 x 1.5 x 2 m). The project is designed to boost productivity, reduce costs and meet evolving sustainability goals. The first PBF machine developed around these concepts features a print volume of 750 x 750 x 1000 mm high.

The new machine will leverage the robust foundation of AddUp’s FormUp 350, a platform currently in use at customers across the aerospace, medical and other high-precision industries. According to AddUp, its MASSIF machine is set to increase productivity by 300%, drastically reducing part costs by 50-70%. Furthermore, with the capability to manufacture parts 12 times larger than current AddUp machines, the machine pushes the boundaries of scale for metal additive manufacturing.

Further benefits include powder waste below 10% and best-in-class surface finishes that minimise or eliminate the need for costly and time-consuming post-processing. Additionally, its in-process monitoring instils confidence that parts are printed correctly from the start, reducing the need for expensive QA testing.

The machine series will be developed in collaboration with companies that include Cailabs, CETIM, Dassault Systèmes, ISP Systems and Vistory. It has already been selected as the winner of the #France2030 ‘Robots and Intelligent Machines of Excellence’ programme. The first machine will be installed at CETIM’s Printing Bourges centre, where it will undergo further validation.

More information www.addupsolutions.com

3D printing an incredibly expensive metal

Renishaw has enabled Cookson Industrial, a UK-based specialist in precious metal additive manufacturing (AM), to reduce the cost of 3D printing platinum rhodium, one of the world’s most expensive metals. Cookson Industrial can now efficiently produce platinum rhodium components on Renishaw’s RenAM 500S Flex AM system.

Cookson Industrial, a division of Cooksongold and a subsidiary of HM Precious Metals, brings over 30 years of expertise in the design and production of precious metal alloys. The company set out to redefine platinum rhodium’s use in additive manufacturing. However, with platinum rhodium prices averaging £80,000 per kg, minimising material waste was crucial to making production commercially viable.

To meet this challenge, Cookson Industrial selected Renishaw’s RenAM 500S Flex, a laser powder-bed fusion system for R&D applications. Renishaw’s AM engineering team worked closely with Cookson Industrial to adapt the system to the specific demands of platinum rhodium production. As standard, the RenAM 500S Flex is capable of achieving powder waste levels as low as 1.5%. However, to align with Cookson Industrial’s requirements, customisations were needed to reduce it to less than 0.5%.

“Achieving near-zero wastage of platinum rhodium powder was a top priority,” explains Jason Morgan, senior applications engineer at Renishaw. “We collaborated with Cookson’s engineers to identify and eliminate potential ‘powder traps’ within the system, followed by rapid testing and redesigns to minimise waste while maintaining performance.”

Renishaw’s customisations included modifying internal system components to prevent powder accumulation, such as removing overflow bellows and optimising the rear overflow vent. Additional measures included chamber redesigns and the creation of specialised casings and covers, resulting in a 95% reduction in powder waste.

More information www.renishaw.com