Updated Concept Laser M2 Cusing 3D Printers Include Features Meant to Improve Quality and Reliability

Just a little over a month ago, the new Arcam EBM Spectra H was publicly unveiled at RAPID + TCT. In late 2016, the company was acquired by GE Additive, the additive manufacturing division of the massive GE corporation, along with its new sister company, Concept Laser, well-known in the industry for its patented LaserCUSING metal 3D printing technology. LaserCUSING works by melting metal powder with a high-precision laser to create products, and the innovative company was behind the first commercialized metal additive manufacturing system to hit the market.

Concept Laser has already had quite the journey with GE Additive, and it doesn’t appear that things are slowing down anytime soon. Last summer, GE Additive added Predix platform capabilities to all of Concept Laser’s M2 cusing systems, not long before ground was broken on Concept Laser’s new German 3D printing facility. Now, the company has announced that new versions of the M2 cusing and M2 cusing Multilaser machines have just been released.

“Customers, especially in the aerospace and medical industry, have high expectations,” said Meddah Hadjar, General Manager, Additive Laser Products at GE Additive. “For that reason we continuously review our solutions portfolio to to confirm we are offering the right machines and the right materials for an ever-demanding range of applications.”

The family of M2 cusing 3D printers is considered the workhorse of GE Additive’s AM product portfolio. Designed in line with ATEX guidelines, the M2 cusing and M2 cusing Multilaser systems can 3D print reactive materials safely, and keep the process chamber and handling area separated for safety purposes. They are used in a large range of industries, from aerospace, defense, and food and beverage to medical and dental, as the M2 is the perfect choice for applications and scenarios where the main outcome – particularly for medium-sized parts – is industrialization.

The build volume of 250 x 250 x 350 mm remains the same, but with some of the new features on the M2 cusing and M2 cusing Multilaser machines, customers can now enjoy lower overall operating costs, as well as increased reliability and productivity.

To start, the metal 3D printing systems feature a new gas flow system, which is backed by redundant oxygen monitoring and a closed inert gas circuit. This system’s new features, along with a tighter, flow-improved build chamber, will help to create better overall part quality and reliability, as well as bring the operating expenditures down.

A new cooling unit, with extra temperature sensors for monitoring, helps to create a more stable and controlled environment for optical components. It helps to prevent unwanted influence from both internal and external temperature changes, which also helps drive quality and reliable 3D printing.

A higher build chamber, with a Z axis of 350 mm, makes it possible to print taller parts. The chamber also features newly designed heating and advanced closed-loop control, the latter of which will help to ensure higher accuracy on the Z positioning. These changes are all the result of Concept Laser’s goal of increased precision; the systems also feature additional sensors for data analytics and updated software.

The newly updated M2 cusing and M2 cusing Multilaser metal 3D printing systems are now available to order.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the comments below. 

[Images provided by GE Additive]