Powerful metal 3D printer launched for serial production

Selective laser melting specialist SLM Solutions has introduced its new machine NXG XII 600, which is now available commercially.

The machine is equipped with 12 lasers with 1kW each and a square build envelope of 600x600x600mm. NXG XII 600 is thought to be the fastest machine on the market, 20 times faster compared to a single laser machine and equipped with innovative technical features like the zoom function to achieve highest productivity and reliability.

It is designed to be used in serial production for high-volume applications as well as for printing large parts, which opens up new applications in the automotive and aerospace industries and paves the way to industrialised serial production.

The new machine was designed from scratch for serial production and features a whole new optic system, the most compact on the market. It enables large overlap and is based on a tailor-made laser scanning system to best fit the build area.

All 12 optics provide spot size definition via a double lens system called zoom function, enabling customers to choose between different spot sizes in the focal plane which boosts build-up rates to 1000 cc/h and more. Producing a higher yield of parts in a single build job thereby enables mass production at low cost-per-part.

Sam O’Leary, COO at SLM Solutions, commented: “The NXG Xll 600 is a revolution in industrial manufacturing. Up until now, the limit had been considered to be that of a quad laser system – what we deliver here with 12KW of installed laser power is truly ground-breaking and a major step forward, not just for additive manufacturing, but for manufacturing in general. The potential cost reduction and productivity gains that this machine offers you means for the first time in the history of additive manufacturing, you can have true serial production fully integrated into your supply chain.”

To facilitate the integration of the NXG XII 600 into factories and supply chains, several automated features like an automatic build cylinder exchange, automatic build start as well as an external preheating station and external depowder station are part of the solution.

The machine is available with two different powder handling options: a gravity based and a vacuum based solution, that both keep downtime between each build job to a minimum.