ARBURG, a German 3D printer and injection molding systems manufacturer, has debuted the freeformer 300-3X, a multi-material and multi-color 3D printer.
Lukas Pawelczyk, Head of Sales freeformer, said, “As a revolutionary next step, we’re celebrating the world premiere of the freeformer 300-3X at the Formnext 2018, which will expand the ARBURG product range and open up new fields of application.”
“For the first time worldwide, complex and resilient functional parts can be produced from three components in hard/soft combination with support structure using this machine for industrial additive manufacturing – that’s unique in the industry.”
The freeformer 300-3X printer is currently on display at Formnext 2018, Hall 3.1, Stand E70.
The freeformer 300-3X printer
ARBURG Plastic freeforming (APF) technology uses qualified standard granulates employed in injection molding technique. Using the material jetting method, these granulate are melted and discharged to fabricate thermoplastic parts.
The freeformer 300-3X is an upgrade to its predecessor, the freeformer 200-3X, introduced in 2013, employs APF technology.
With the help of three material discharge units, the freeformer 300-3X can manufacture multi-material and multicolor parts. It can produce parts with support material different from the finished product. Furthermore, the ARBURG’s material jet system can combine hard and soft material to produce unique parts.
The 23 x 13 x 20 cm build chamber is protected by a two-part door. This allows the operator to open the top part of the door and refill the feed hopper without opening the heated bed-chamber. This system makes the printing process more efficient as the heated build chamber only needs to be opened when inserting or removing a part.
The “300” in the name refers to the size of the build chamber in cubic cm which is 50% larger than the freeform 200-3X.
A cranial implant made with resorbable polylactide (PLLA). Image via ARBURG
Material jetting 3D printing
Several 3D printing companies have also employed material jetting technology to build multi-component parts, especially for making removable support structures.
XJet, an Israel-based 3D printer manufacturer, uses a material jetting technology, trademarked NanoParticle Jetting (NPJ). Xjet’s metal 3D printers use ceramic as a support material for metal 3D printed parts.
Also, Mimaki, a Japanese 3D printer manufacturer, uses material jetting technology. Mimaki’s 3DUJ-553 is a full-color 3D printer which uses a material jetting technology to prints easily removable separate support material.
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Featured image shows ARBURG freeformer 300-3X. Image via ARBURG.
