ExOne Calculator Estimates Metal Binder Jet 3D Printing Costs Quickly

With new materials, a new desanding station and 3D printer, new 3D printing and research partners, and more, Pennsylvania-based binder jetting leader the ExOne Company (Nasdaq: XONE) was pretty busy in 2020, and is already hitting the ground running in 2021. Today, the manufacturer of industrial metal and sand 3D printers is introducing its newest business innovation: an online estimating tool for companies thinking about switching over to ExOne’s high-speed binder jet 3D printing for their metal parts needs.

The new ExOne Production Metal Cost Calculator offers manufacturers a per-part estimate for binder jetting a precision metal part, which gives them the ability to quickly compare the cost of ExOne’s technology to other additive and traditional manufacturing processes. Once you enter your name, email address, phone number, and company, you can easily use the online calculator. You just need to input some simple, but important, information, such as your part dimensions and volume, the material, and the machine, to get going.

“As customers compare new binder jetting options in the marketplace, we wanted to provide greater transparency into the affordable costs of binder jetting with ExOne technology. Our new estimating tool takes a comprehensive range of costs into account, such as initial capital investment, throughput speeds, material, binder, replacement printheads, and more,” John Hartner, ExOne’s CEO, said in a press release. “Our team is confident that our high-speed systems offer the best value in terms of build area, throughput, consumable costs, material flexibility, and experience.”

This new tool provides per-part estimates for binder jet 3D printing on any of ExOne’s Pro series systems, which are qualified to print with more than twenty materials, such as four ceramics, five composite metals, and 11 single-alloy metals; specific examples include Cobalt Chrome, Titanium, M2 Tool Steel, Copper, Inconel 718, and 17-4PH. Aluminum has been qualified to be used for R&D purposes on ExOne’s printers, and its first aluminum alloys should receive important third-party qualification status sometime this year.

ExOne’s Innovent printer line

ExOne says the metal production 3D printers in its Pro series can complete with new binder jet 3D printers from the likes of HP, Desktop Metal, and GE. The Pro series lineup includes the extra-large X1 160Pro, which features a maximum print speed 10,000 cc/hr and a 30 to 200 μm layer height. The market demand for ExOne’s tenth metal 3D printer, which is currently in production at the company’s German facility, is pretty high, and will be shipping to customers soon.

The X1 25Pro was launched in 2019, with a maximum build rate of 3,600 cc/hr, the latest recoating technology, and a variable Z depth if requested. The final printer in ExOne’s Pro series is the InnoventPro, a faster version of its popular metal binder jetting Innovent+ that can print with the company’s NanoFuse particulate inks. It offers a 3-liter or 5-liter build volume and should be coming to the market later this year, so we’ll have to wait for final specifications.

But, there’s no waiting for the new ExOne Production Metal Cost Calculator, which is now live on the company’s website.