Exerial 3D Printing System: Industrial 3D Printing Batches — Faster, Better, Simultaneously — from ExOne

ExOne is a leader in revolutionizing 3D printing for the industrial front. While their momentum has never stopped and just seems to be gaining strength, their goals have far surpassed the simple introduction and integration of 3D printing into the industrial world they cater to. For some time now, ExOne has simply been busy outdoing themselves, and it seems that isn’t changing anytime soon.

The company, with headquarters in both Europe and the United States, has been engaged in producing powerful, industrial 3D printers for their binder jetting technology which uses an array of materials and offers their customer base the ability to save on the bottom line, increase efficiency, and meet deadlines faster.

With a clientele that has a serious need for large scale, quality production, ExOne continually works closely with them to find out what their actual — and new — requirements are for 3D printing components, prototypes, and more. As they’ve remained dedicated to commitment, the ExOne team has realized an even deeper need to develop 3D printing technology that can produce at a higher volume with simultaneous jobs being produced at once.

Announced today from their North Huntingdon, PA office, ExOne will now be rolling out its largest 3D printing system yet: the Exerial system. Exerial marks a true transitioning from rapid prototyping to industrial production with a 3D printer that allows them to manufacture beyond the limits of small batch production.

As 3D printing in manufacturing becomes more mainstream and widely used, the industrial sector is calling for the ability to do even more with the technology — bigger, better, faster — and always more affordably.

The new 3D printer will be unveiled in Düsseldorf, Germany at the GIFA International Foundry Trade Fair where ExOne will be in attendance June 16-20.

“ExOne’s industrial customers are pressing for latter stage technology to address their production needs with a 3D printing system that supports higher volumes and automation for the industrial production environment. When the Exerial system rolls out this year, ExOne will have addressed the industrial-level solution, further separating binder-jetting as a more cost effective technology than other 3D printing solutions,” said S. Kent Rockwell, Chairman and CEO of ExOne.

Basically, the Exerial is its own manufacturing facility as users are able to put it into process for 3D printing voluminous, multi-batch jobs for continual processing, with more than one job going at once. The Exerial boasts multiple ‘stations’ which allow extreme multi-tasking in production, and help meet the challenge of having a wait at the printer.

“While our machine R&D focus in 2014 concentrated more intently on this type of customer base, ExOne continues to address the growing needs of our rapid prototyping and low volume production customers with further improvements in our existing machine portfolio platforms — the S-Max, S-Print, and M-Flex — and through the development of additional binder sets and printing materials,” said Rockwell.

The Exerial’s two job boxes are 1.5 times larger than that of the S-Max, and printing output is significantly, exponentially higher at four times faster than its predecessor. It also features:

• New recoater system
• Multiple print heads
• Automation controls

“We are investing in the latter stages of our R&D process for the Exerial as we respond to an initial purchase order of four machines,” said Rainer Hoechsmann, Chief Development Officer for ExOne. “We expect to deliver the first beta machine and then the other three machines over the course of the first three quarters of this year, with additional commercial availability likely at the end of 2015 or early 2016.”

ExOne’s customers are asking for more, and ExOne is delivering, as the progressive new way of manufacturing via 3D printing begins to pave over more traditional processes.

Will you be in attendance at the GIFA International Foundry Trade Fair? How do you see 3D printing systems like the Exerial completely changing manufacturing processes? Tell us your thoughts in the Exerial from ExOne forum thread over at 3DPB.com.