Arburg to present LSR additive manufacturing components at Formnext 2023

Frankfurt, Germany – At Formnext 2023 in Frankfurt, Germany, scheduled for November 7 to 10, ARBURG additive will be presenting its complete range of products for industrial additive manufacturing based on granulates, filaments and liquid silicone (LSR) at Stand D79 in Hall 12.1. One highlight will be the new 750-3X high-temperature Freeformer from ARBURG additive, which produces resilient air distributors from certified Ultem original granulate.

TiQ and LiQ series 3D printers from innovatiQ will be demonstrating the processing of fiber-reinforced filaments and certified LSR. There will also be many sample components on display, including brand-new Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF) components made of short-fiber reinforced thermoplastics.

At Formnext 2023, the new Freeformer 750-3X in high-temperature version will be producing geometrically sophisticated air distributors from original Ultem 9085. The high-end machine has three discharge units and, from the outside, is indistinguishable from the Freeformer 300-3X. However, at around 750 cm2, the part carrier is around 2.5 times larger. In addition, data processing and the Gestica controller, which is developed and manufactured by Arburg in-house, have been optimized in terms of process stability and component quality, and build time has been significantly shortened. The result is significantly reduced costs per component and lower material usage. The temperature of the build chamber can be raised to 200° C, and the granules are plasticized at up to 450° C.

A second Freeformer 750-3X will be producing orthopedic insoles up to shoe size 50. Thanks to the APF process, certain parts of the insole can be individually reinforced and others specifically designed to be soft — either through a multi-material combination of hard PP and soft TPE or by adjusting the filling density. This sample part is also used to show how build time can be significantly reduced through enhanced software features, for example, and lattice-shaped support structures. The third APF exhibit, a Freeformer 200-3X, is specially designed for processing soft materials.

“We are experiencing high demand for additively manufactured components made from short-fiber reinforced thermoplastics,” says Simon Leitl, director development at ARBURGadditive. “At Formnext, we will be happy to demonstrate our current progress in the APF process with the Freeformer using the first sample components for various industries. This includes the development of a modified discharge system, for example.”

The suitability of the APF process for efficiently producing small batches will also be demonstrated using a platform, closely fitted with 3D-printed holders made of PA, as an example. Arburg’s experts will also be happy to share their experience with interested parties from the fields of injection molding and additive manufacturing.

The compact 3D printers in the TiQ series have a CNC control system and process filaments using the fused filament fabrication (FFF) process. The TiQ 2 is particularly economical and also ideal as an entry-level additive manufacturing solution thanks to its open material system. Loadable suction pads and mechanical grippers made of fiber-reinforced PA and PP with individualized fingers for picking up components, mounted on robot arms, will be on show in Frankfurt.

Another exhibit, a TiQ 5 “pro,” has integrated material drying and active build chamber temperature control. One component highlight is a “High-speed Water Scooter Board,” 3D-printed from fiber-reinforced filament using this high-performance printer. Its individual parts are laminated to form a functional prototype.

All 3D printers from innovatiQ are operated using the intuitive industrial controller GestiQ-Pro. The optional SmartMonitoring system allows several printers to be monitored simultaneously during production. LAM (liquid additive manufacturing) technology can be used to print items such as bellows, soft grippers and end-of-arm tooling (EoAT) for automation, as well as industrial seals and nozzle closures in various Shore hardnesses — all with high process reliability.

Formnext 2023 will see the first demonstration of the processing of Shin-Etsu’s extensively medical and FDA-certified standard LSR KEG-2003H-30A/B. This can be used to manufacture implants and products for the food sector, for example. The 3D-printed components have virtually the same flame-retardant, UV and temperature-resistant properties as injection-molded parts.

Two PC workstations will also be used to demonstrate how the “ProcessLog” customer portal app can be used to seamlessly document and trace every single APF component. This allows a wide range of process and build job data to be displayed in clear graphical form and documented — which in turn ensures transparency, high part quality and can significantly reduce rejects and error rates.