3 minute read
IMTS AT A GLANCE
WORDS: Sam Davies
IMTS AT A GLANCE AT A GLANCE
In September, TCT will be on the ground at the largest manufacturing technology trade show in North America to bring you latest product launches and application developments relevant to additive manufacturing.
IMTS will feature more than 100 exhibitors within its Additive Manufacturing Pavilion and TCT will be doing its best to visit each and every one, sitting down with a select few for more in-depth conversations.
As the agenda fi lls up with press conferences, interviews and other meetings, here’s just a glimpse of what we’re anticipating.
MEET METAL JET
Four years after the initial announcement of its Metal Jet 3D printing technology (made at the last IMTS no less), HP is expected to declare that its metal binder jet technology is commercially available. Over the last few years, parts produced with Metal Jet have been accessible via GKN Powder Metallurgy and Parmatech – two partners that were trusted to aid HP in the development of the technology. Since then, the US Marine Corps, Cobra Golf and Volkswagen have all publicly been revealed as users of the technology, with the latter teaming with Siemens to incorporate the process into its vehicle production operations. HP is believed to have a product unveil lined up for the fi rst day of IMTS, while tentative invites have been sent out to press for interviews with key members of the company’s metal 3D printing team. Back in 2018, HP suggested the technology was 50x more productive than other binder jet technologies, while also boasting a 430 x 320 x 200 mm build volume and the ability to process metal injection molding powders. NEXT FOR NEXA IN FINE FORM
Nexa3D has established itself in the additive manufacturing market with its Sterolithography 3D printers, which today include the NXE 400, NXE 200, NXD 200 and the XiP desktop system. But back in 2020, the company made the move to acquire NXT Factory, which fell under the same XponentialWorks umbrella as Nexa and was coming to market with a powder-based polymer additive manufacturing technology. Quantum Laser Sintering (QLS) technology has since been a feature of Nexa’s trade show stands and IMTS is set to be used as the launchpad for the technology’s commercial availability. So far, we know that the QLS 820 is equipped with a 350 x 350 x 400 mm build volume, 4 x 100W CO2 lasers and a print speed of up to 8,000 ccm per hour. It is also able to process materials such as PA12, PA11, Polypropylene, and aluminum, glass and fi ber-fi lled options. Though the company has made some key personnel redundant in recent weeks, it is understood that the company’s launch of the QLS 820 platform will go ahead at IMTS. Directed Energy Deposition fi rm FormAlloy Technologies will have a presence at IMTS and is to showcase its DEDSmart software off ering. A key component of the company’s DED portfolio, DEDSmart has been developed for autonomous DED builds and build data logging with in-situ monitoring. This platform enables users to record all build parameter data, export time-stamped data and analyze the data post-build, helping manufacturers to verify the build quality of components. There is also a playback feature to allow processes to be frozen and repeated as desired, while the software also creates a comprehensive build history by utilizing system speeds, feeds and sensors. CEO Melanie Lang says DEDSmart ‘provides insight and confi dence to customers’ so they can ‘produce consistent and high-quality parts, with unprecedented open access to data sets foe analysis, performance correlation and part certifi cation.’
