TCT Show: Exhibitor focus

PES takes a look at some of the companies who will be at this year's TCT Show which focuses on all aspects of 3D technology used in manufacturing, held at the NEC, Birmingham from September 26-28th.

Aiming for the finish

Leading surface finishing equipment manufacturer Guyson International will be releasing details of its latest powder recovery system, aimed at additive manufacturers with powder-based systems.

Guyson will also be exhibiting entry- and mid-level manual finishing stations and complementary dust collection options which incorporate numerous safety features, enabling the operator to surface finish almost any material safely.

Guyson’s entry-level finishing station for 3D printed components is the Guyson Formula 1400 ‘AM’ version which will also feature a pencil blast unit with micro tipped blast nozzle for intricate detailed surface finishing. The 1400 AM forms part of the Guyson Formula blast range which offers three cabinet sizes; including a benchtop version – ideal for smoothing out striation lines, finishing SLS prototypes or creating the perfect keyed surface for painting on FDM 3D printed components.

Also showing will be a Guyson Euroblast 6 AM finishing station which has been devised especially for the additive manufacturing market. These particular finishing stations are designed for surface finishing stainless, aluminium, titanium or Inconel built components, which are often used in the aerospace and medical sectors. Some of these exotic materials have the potential to create explosive dust, so special provision is made with the Guyson blast systems to mitigate those risks.

GUYSON www.guyson.co.uk
Stand G59

Driving ahead

KD-1 is said to be the first 3D printed golf club driver head made from Windform high performance 3D printing materials with precision a CNC machined titanium striking face.

Manufactured by CRP Technology and its sister machining company specialist CRP Meccanica, the golf club has been co-engineered by CRP Group and Krone Golf on behalf of Krone, a world leader in custom engineered golfing equipment.

KD-1 has been shortlisted for the Consumer Application category for the TCT Awards 2017. The winner will be announced on September 27th at the inaugural TCT Awards during the three days of 2017 TCT Show.

Franco Cevolini, CRP Group CEO comments: “KD-1 is a precise example of the CRP method, which allows the customer to rely entirely on us from the design phase to the delivery of the finished product.”

CRP Group

www.crp-group.com

Tandem production

Laser manufacturer Trumpf will present its TruPrint 1000 3D printer with multi-laser option.

What’s special about the system, which is designed to process metal powder, is its multi-laser principle: the highly productive TruPrint 1000 features two, 200W fibre lasers that work in tandem to create components of the required shape by layering metal powder. The hallmarks of the system are the flexibility it offers for satisfying specific customer demands and increased productivity.

In its standard version, the compact TruPrint 1000 is equipped with one 200W laser. Although Trumpf developed the multi-laser version with two lasers with the dental industry in mind, this highly productive system is also suitable for other industries.

The main advantage the multi-laser version has over the standard model is increased productivity. With no change in capacity utilisation, the machine generates up to 80% more parts; pure processing time for producing parts in the powder bed is cut almost in half.

The TruPrint 1000 can quickly and flexibly produce parts with a maximum diameter of 100mm and up to 100mm in height. It does this using the laser metal fusion (LMF) technique, in which one or more lasers melt metallic powder layer by layer in a powder bed to produce complex parts. LMF is particularly suited to the automotive, medical engineering, supply and jewellery industries.

Trumpf will also introduce the TruPrint 3000 and TruPrint 5000 3D printers to the market at TCT. These medium format machines also use LMF technology. Parts can measure up to 300mm in diameter and 400mm in height. Thanks to an ingenious interchangeable cylinder concept, which allows the construction chamber and supply cylinders to be switched out quickly, these machines are geared towards the large-scale production of complex metal parts.

Trumpf www.trumpf.com/en_GB
Stand B24

Promoting the possible

On the Stratasys stand, the company will provide visitors with an insight into the value of strategically implementing additive manufacturing throughout product development.

Emphasising its commitment to ‘redefining what’s possible’, Stratasys will present a cross-section of high-profile customer applications, demonstrating how companies large and small are innovating their design and manufacturing processes with 3D printing, resulting in increased efficiencies, productivity and profitability.

For those seeking to get a first-hand look at Stratasys 3D printing solutions, the company will showcase some of its most advanced 3D printers to date. Demonstrating the power of FDM for production, the Fortus 450mc 3D printer will be running live on stand.

Thanks to a wide selection of real-engineering materials, including the newly launched Nylon12 CF carbon-filled material, the Fortus-line of 3D printers have become a popular choice for the factory floor of world’s leading manufacturers for tooling and low volume production applications.

Stratasys will also be highlighting its partnership with the McLaren Formula 1 race team during the show which will include a keynote presentation on the use of 3D printing in motorsport.

Stratasys www.stratasys.com
Stand D30

Powder software solutions

LPW Technology is a supplier of high quality metal powders and end-to-end solutions for the AM industry.

It will be showcasing its full traceability solution with the innovative PowderSolve software system and PowderTrace smart hopper at the TCT Show.

Dr Phil Carroll, LPW’s founder and CEO says: “To add intelligent data and practical, cost-effective solutions we’ve developed PowderLife, an integrated suite of software, hardware, analysis, applications support and premium metal powders.”

LPW views AM from the perspective of the powder, and at TCT it will be highlighting both newly released software and the hardware component of PowderLife. PowderSolve and PowderTrace are two products expressly designed to monitor and control powder condition, adding traceability, reliability and confidence throughout the powder lifecycle.

LPW www.lpwtechnology.com
Stand E42

Racing ahead with innovation

Highlights on the Renishaw stand include: the RenAM 500M metal additive manufacturing system, with laser powder bed fusion technology, designed and built in-house by Renishaw for series part production; Renishaw vacuum casting; the race-winning TransFIORmers Moto2 bike and HiETA Technologies heat exchange solutions.

The TransFIORmers Moto2 bike features an unconventional front suspension system with an innovative 3D printed wishbone. The weight of the component was reduced by a factor of 40% whilst increasing stiffness.

Renishaw AM technology was also used by HiETA to prove out and produce sufficiently thin walls for a light weighted heat exchange component for a micro turbine which acts as a range extender in an electric car.

“Additive manufacturing is already improving the automotive design process and increasing the number of lighter, stronger and improved products,” explains Stephen Crownshaw, additive manufacturing business manager at Renishaw.

“In the motorsport industry, having a rapid turnaround of prototype parts can be a competitive advantage. By using metal additive manufacturing, new functional parts can be produced and tested quickly.”

The world’s first metal 3D printed bicycle frame, manufactured by Renishaw for Empire Cycles, will also be exhibited alongside the Robot Bike R160 customisable titanium and carbon mountain bike frame.

A range of Renishaw healthcare solutions including dental and medical metal 3D printed parts will also be highlighted. Renishaw metal additive manufacturing systems are used to produce a diverse range of parts for healthcare from dental structures to cranial implants.

Renishaw www.renishaw.com/additive
Stand D38

Fusing support for 3D

RP Support Limited (RPS) has been appointed as a channel partner for HP’s 3D printing technology in the UK market.

RPS, currently celebrating its 10-year anniversary, will sell and service the HP Jet Fusion range of 3D printers and accessories to all industry sectors across the region.

Aylesbury-based RPS has grown strongly over the last 10 years from being a reliable partner supplying materials, equipment and service contracts to building and selling its own production stereolithography system – the NEO800.

Additionally, RPS has developed key partnerships with ALM for a range of laser sintering materials, DSM Somos for SL materials, and Markforged, as a value-added partner for its carbon fibre, desktop 3D printers.

The HP Jet Fusion 3D 4200/3200 printer and processing station will be exhibited by RPS at the show.

RPS www.rpsupport.co.uk
Stand F22

Metrology matters

Faro UK will present many of the company’s cutting-edge metrology products at TCT Live including the recently launched Design ScanArm – a portable 3D scanning solution tailored for 3D modelling, reverse engineering, and CAD-based design applications across the product lifecycle management (PLM) process.

The arm features optically-superior blue laser technology with fast scanning speed to deliver high-resolution point cloud data and the ability to seamlessly scan challenging materials without the need for spray or targets.

The device is lightweight and manoeuvrable for convenient desktop mounting in the design studio or engineering lab and features a simplified user interface that makes it easy to operate regardless of skill level or 3D scanning experience.

Faro’s stand will also feature advanced company products such as Freestyle laser scanners.

Faro UK www.faro.com
Stand: G18