MetalFAB1 Unveiled: Additive Industries Presents the First Truly Industrial 3D Metal Printing System

Today we have many choices in 3D printing. The desktop and professional arenas are expanding rapidly with a wide range of basic and alternative materials emerging, along with many nifty new features that allow home and office users to innovate where previously it would not have been possible.  But just as individual tinkerers and makers have been experimenting with a multitude of results, so have the big guns of industry–and most point toward what are now many variations on metal 3D printing as the direction of the future in additive manufacturing.

Once a new and innovative process that had some scratching their heads, wondering about metal powders and the like, it’s become plain to see that for incredible strength and durability, metal 3D printing is the choice. This is the case for items like 3D printed medical implants all the way up to high quality components made for the aerospace and automotive industries, and far more. Now, Additive Industries is unveiling what they refer to as the world’s ‘first truly industrial’ 3D metal printing system–and we’ve been looking forward to its premier for some time now.

The MetalFAB1 makes its mark in offering significantly greater performance over typical mid-range systems with a powerful design, as well as offering exponentially more reproducibility, productivity, and flexibility. One of the largest metal 3D printers available, it offers a single build envelope size of 420 x 420 x 400 mm.

Specific highlighted features are:

• Modular design for customer- and application-specific configuration
• Multiple build chambers with individual integrated powder handling (up to four combined at once)
• Capability to use four full field lasers
• Furnace for stress relief heat treatment
• Smart feedback control and calibration strategies
• Automated build plate and product handling

Just released in Eindhoven, Netherlands, where Additive Industries is headquartered, the first two MetalFAB1 systems were on display for both the customer base as well as the press. A beta test program is scheduled to begin in December, with four machines already reserved in advance from customers in a mix of aerospace, high tech equipment and tooling.

“We are eager to work closely together with our Beta customers. We will team up to further develop the process, new materials and applications as well as testing the performance to substantially improve the business cases of our customers,” said Daan Kersten, co-founder and CEO of Additive Industries.

The company will also be exhibiting at formnext, powered by TCT, in Frankfurt, Germany from November 17-20 at hall 3.1, booth E28. Formnext is the international exhibition and conference on additive technologies and tool making. This show is well-known for highlighting how new and traditional technologies are working alongside one another in a complementary fashion for a variety of manufacturing processes.

Let’s hear your thoughts on this new machine in the MetalFAB1 3D Printer Forum Thread on 3DPB.com.