Oct 26, 2015 | By Alec

Nothing is better than a laser; not only are they iconic and cool, laser-based 3D printers have also produced truly remarkable results in metal 3D printing and are doubtlessly heading to a serious industrial role in the near future. And it looks like German manufacturers TRUMPF has a role to play in that future, as the laser specialists have just announced that they will unveil new 3D printers at the Formnext trade fair, which will be held in Frankfurt November 17 to 20 this year. On display will be 3D printers featuring laser metal fusion (LMF) and laser metal deposition (LMD) technologies, which will be part of their new product range.

As you might know, laser manufacturers TRUMPF have quite a bit of a 3D printing history. They specialize in machine tools, lasers and electronics and are a world leader in their field – achieving 2.72 billion euros in sales worldwide over 2014-2015. They have been in the field of additive manufacturing since 2000, when they developed the "TrumaForm" universal tool for the generative manufacturing of metals, but were a bit ahead of their time. Last year, they also entered a 3D printing partnership with Italians Sisma.

But with these new 3D printers, they are once again aimed at laser-based metal manufacturing. Designed at the headquarters in Ditzingen with the help of Sisma, the head of the laser department Dr.-Ing. E.h. Peter Leibinger called them a groundbreaking development. ‘The introduction of these new 3D printers is an essential first step, since additive manufacturing will not only supplement production techniques in the future, but will also exert a formative influence on them,’ he says. ‘We will be offering rugged and highly productive machinery with which small and medium-sized parts incorporating complex structures can be manufactured.’

With these 3D printers, TRUMPF has also become the world’s only specialist to feature both of the main technologies (LMF and LMD) in its product range. ‘LMF and LMD are the two leading technologies in the additive manufacture of metal parts - and we have them both,’ says Peter Leibinger. ‘Our customers procure not only the machine and the laser from a single source but - in addition to extensive service support - intensive technology and applications consulting, too. No matter whether you are dealing with injection nozzles, turbine blades, tools or even medical implants - with our broad range of technology we are offering the best solution for virtually every application.’

The choice between the two, the German specialists say, depends on the exact application you’re looking for. ‘LMF systems generate parts layer by layer in a bed of powder. These printers bring their strengths to bear when making up parts which are geometrically complicated and extremely elaborate,’ they say. LMD 3D printers, meanwhile, create melted pools on the surface of objects and fuses the powder together – being especially suitable for closely defined structures added to existing tools and objects. Both, however, are powerful enough to make the mouths water of any FDM user.

Posted in 3D Printing Company

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Amir Shirkhodaie wrote at 10/26/2015 4:33:26 PM:I am interested about laser-based metal 3D printers. Do you have any representative in USA? If yes, would please send me the contact information of your representative. Thank you, Dr. Amir Shirkhodaie Dept. of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engr. Tennessee State University Tel: 1-615-963-5396 Email: ashirkhodaie@tnstate.edu



