3D PRINTING | MATERIALS
Adding a dimension: the rise of 3D printing
The performance envelope of 3D printing continues to expand, with new flame retardant, bio-based and low-gloss materials – plus a helicopter simulator cockpit made using additive manufacturing
Though it began as a way of producing faster prototypes, 3D printing – in its many forms – has grown into a production technique. Machinery and material advances have helped variants like fused deposition modelling (FDM) to compete with injection moulding in certain cases – typically smaller production runs of specialised products, where designing and making a mould is not economical.
Finishing skills Techniques in 3D printing – also commonly called additive manufacturing – are constantly being refined. KraussMaffei recently brought together experts from its additive manufacturing and toolmaking sites – to produce higher quality 3D printed components. The collaboration means that 3D printed items such as one-off moulds can be finished in-house – using techniques like milling – and supplied from a single source. “We initially tried working with external milling companies but working in-house is much more efficient and you also retain the expertise,” said Ender Murat Ferat, a project engineer in additive
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manufacturing at KraussMaffei. Recycled PETG with 30% glass fibre reinforce- ment will now be used for 3D printing. This was typically done using a material called ureol before. One project that has already been implemented is a sand-casting mould for pressure pads. For this, a negative mould is first produced, with which the actual sand mould is made, which in turn holds the liquid metal (such as iron or aluminium). The sand mould is destroyed during demoulding, and the milled 3D body can be used many times. The cooperation benefits both sides because
each can now offer additional services. Print-on- demand customers receive their workpieces from a single source with a perfect finish, while existing customers of ureol models can use the more break-resistant PET GF30. In addition, KraussMaffei has introduced its additive manufacturing technology to the US market, following its appearance at NPE. A key component of this is its LSAM (Large Scale Additive Manufacturing) system – called PowerPrint – along- side its PrecisionPrint stereolithography system. PowerPrint processes large parts using 3D printing techniques. It can produce fully or partially filled
July/August 2024 | INJECTION WORLD 33
Main image: Two Krauss- Maffei departments cooperated to perform milling on a 3D-printed model
IMAGE: KRAUSSMAFFEI
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