Raise3D, Optomec, & Xact Metal Launch New 3D Printers at Formnext

November 18, 2021 by Sarah Saunders 3D Printers 3D Printing 3D Printing Events Business Featured Stories Metal 3D Printing

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Formnext 2021 is going on in Frankfurt, Germany right now, and we’ve been inundated with announcements of new industry partnerships, new hardware, and more, as the AM industry revels in being together in-person again. While there are obviously less attendees this year than in years past, Formnext, touted as the AM industry’s largest annual event, still welcomed over 600 exhibitors, more than half of which are international companies, and everyone in attendance is required to be either vaccinated against, or recovered from, COVID-19. We’ve got some more announcements to share with you from the show floor now.

Raise3D Large-Format RMF500 FFF 3D Printer

First up, AM solutions provider Raise3D announced the launch of its large-format RMF500, an FFF system for small-batch production so the company’s industrial customers can expand their business with speedy, repeatable printing of strong, stiff, heat- and impact-resistant carbon fiber reinforced end-use parts. It was designed to meet the production demands of high-level manufacturing with three main features: accurate production repeatability, large build volume and high speed, and high-performance material usage.

For the first feature, Raise3D says the sturdy RMF500 has a low clearance linear motor driven system that can help achieve models with a 0.001 mm accuracy along the X and Y axes, and 0.0009765 mm precision along the Z axis. It also has 1μm closed-loop synchronous control, which can decrease speed variations with motor load changes. The RMF500 has a 500 x 500 x 500 mm build area, can print two jobs at the same time with its Independent Dual Extruder (IDEX) system, and is said to reach printing speeds of up to 300 mm a second. Additionally, the system exclusively uses a carbon fiber reinforced filament that was curated to offer a low shrinkage ratio and higher rigidity, and doesn’t require a heated chamber, making the printer much more efficient. The new RMF500 also has four supersized 2.5 kg cartridges, so it can automatically switch between main and auxiliary ones and offer non-stop printing. You can learn more at Raise3D’s Formnext Booth G79, Hall 12.1.

Xact Metal Launches XM200G Metal 3D Printer, Drops Price of XM200C

Another company launching a new system at Formnext this week is Xact Metal, with its XM200G metal 3D printer series. The printer, with a build volume of 150 x 150 x 150 mm, uses a high-performance galvanometer system for faster print times, as well as to support a multi laser configuration, which the XM200G also offers, with 100, 200 and 400W fiber lasers available. When it deploys a multi laser configuration, this new printer is said to offer a 66% overlapping area at 50μm spot size, and a 100% overlapping area at 100μm spot size. One of XAct’s goals is to make metal powder bed fusion (PBF) more accessible to the smaller and medium-sized companies, which is why the company also announced at Formnext that it has lowered the price point of its XM200C printer from $90,000 to $65,000.

“With pricing beginning at a US MSRP of $90,000, the XM200G family is ideal for printing parts where high-performance applications and print speed are critical. The introduction of the XM200G is another example of how Xact Metal continues to combine the requirements of metal powder bed fusion and breakthrough technology to establish a new level of price and performance for additive manufacturing,” said Xact Metal’s CEO Juan Mario Gomez.
“We are very excited to offer a starting MSRP of $65,000 for our XM200C metal 3D printer to allow more customers to benefit from metal laser powder bed fusion technology.”

You learn more at Xact Metal’s Formnext Booth C102, Hall 12.0.

Optomec’s Two Automated, High-Volume 3D Printers

Not to be outdone, metal and electronics AM solutions provider Optomec is showcasing not one, but two new 3D printers at Formnext this week—a metal LENS system and an electronics Aerosol Jet one, both of which were designed for high volume production, automated for part-handling, and come with user-friendly software for what the company calls “error-free job sequencing.” First is the compact, all-in-one HC-TBR, which uses Directed Energy Deposition (DED) to repair and build metal parts out of multiple alloys. This system, designed for manufacturers looking for less expensive ways to produce and repair titanium components, comes with a supposed industry-first feature, as it uses advanced laser optics to remotely change the power profile and size of its laser beam, which sounds really cool and also helps speed up the print process as well. It can also process reactive metal alloys, like titanium, at high volume in an oxygen-free chamber.

Optomec’s second 3D printer to be highlighted at Formnext is its new Aerosol Jet HD2 electronics printer for 3D semiconductor packaging and assembly—an industry that is suffering from supply chain issues at the moment. Leveraging its patented Aerosol Jet technology, the system can print high resolution circuitry, with features that Optomec says are as small as 10 microns, and it also offers a unique approach for dispensing conformal 3D interconnects between chips, components, die, and substrates. With its improved performance at high signal frequencies, which allows for reduced power consumption and longer range in segments like automotive radar and 5G communications, the Aerosol Jet HD2 can act as a drop-in replacement system for the traditional way of using wire bonds to connect electrical components, which can cause high scrap and has poor signal performance. Visit Optomec at Booth E101, Hall 12.0, at Formnext.