Dutch company Admatec has just announced the release of a monitoring system for advanced industrial ceramic and metal additive manufacturing, offering a bevy of features that should catch the attention of many users engaged in applications for areas like biomedical, aerospace, aesthetics, and more. The launch details new advantages like:
- Full documentation and traceability
- Capabilities geared toward highly demanding industries
- Layer detection
- Foil movement
- Time-lapse videos
Used with the Admatec Admaflex 130 3D printer (and materials to include Alumina, Zirconia, and Fused Silica, and metal such as 316L, 17-4-PH, Inconel 625 and Copper), the monitoring system allows the operator to view the print process and record it on a layer-by-layer process:
“For example, if a build platform would print 180 products with just one failing during the process, the monitoring system will detect this and proceed with the other 179 parts to finalize successfully. Whereas with a more traditional approach like VAT this would mean the full run has instantly failed,” states the Admatec team in their latest press release.
In series production, users are able to ‘upscale’ without tooling and make changes quickly to important features like size, materials, and shape and structure. The integrated DLP light engine offers users the ability to perform large surface printing, with precision and resolution, also manufacturing small, detailed parts. Ceramic materials, known to be ‘superior,’ can still be challenging to work with. In 3D printing, this material acts as the catalyst for designing parts and prototypes that would not have been possible otherwise. This is a common benefit of 3D printing and additive manufacturing, along with offering a route to bring obsolete parts back to life too once they have been scanned.
Commercially launched in 2016, many Admaflex 130 3D printers have been installed around the world, also resulting in valuable customer feedback, allowing Admatec’s research and development group to create stronger products—with a focus on a customized approach. Admatec customers have the luxury of choosing options, creating a tailor-made 3D printer and choosing features to assist in high print quality, speed, and even an add-on for printing in metal, along with the vision-based monitoring system.
“We are constantly working to improve not only with new hardware and material development but also in functionality and productivity. Through software updates that aim at benefiting our existing customer base while improving the efficiency of the technology,” stated Admatec COO, Jaco Saurwalt.
Admatec sees the potential for both ceramic and metal to have enormous impacts on a variety of industries, especially with the ability to cut costs and offer flexibility and the path to upscale production.
“We are witnessing a gradual change in ceramic AM, from being used mostly as a research and development tool to an actual production method, especially for investment casting and aesthetic applications,” says Nadia Yaakoubi, business developer at Admatec.
3D printing in both ceramics and metal is becoming increasingly popular from creating titanium matrix composites to 3D printed robots and even glass ceramics. What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts; join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.
