Renishaw says that it has launched a new range of 3D printing machinery. This includes the RenAM 500S Flex, a single laser additive manufacturing (AM) machine and the RenAM 500Q Flex, a four laser AM machine, in its RenAM 500 range.
According to the company, both systems feature a simplified powder handling system, which is suited to manufacturers who regularly swap build materials during production, such as research and development (R&D), pre-production or bureau environments.
To avoid cross contamination, engineers can easily clean the system between powders by changing out hard to clean parts, rather than manufacturers having to invest in a new machine for each material test, Renishaw said. Parts can also be swapped in again if the operator wants to retest the same material again, further reducing costs.
‘Manufacturers can quickly change powders in the RenAM 500S Flex and RenAM 500Q Flex in-house,’ said Lily Dixon, AM project manager at Renishaw. ‘Once the pre-production stage is complete, the common build environment allows any parameters to be directly transferred to a RenAM 500Q with powder recirculation, without the need to retest the gas flow, chamber and optics. Manufacturers can also build full size parts on a small scale before mass production. If the manufacturer no longer requires a flexible AM system, the Flex can even be converted into a recirculating machine.”
This story uses material from Renishaw, with editorial changes made by Materials Today.
