Individualized high-volume parts
By combining additive manufacturing, injection molding, and Industry 4.0 technologies, high-volume parts can be enhanced and customer requirements integrated directly into the value chain. Arburg will show how such customized individualization works for the first time at the NPE 2018 using the example of the IT networked and fully automated production line for business card holders. A six-axis robot links injection molding with additive manufacturing here.First the person's name is entered on a tablet PC. An electric Allrounder 370 E Golden Electric manufactures the molded part, which is handled by a Multilift robotic system. An individual barcode is applied during the subsequent laser marking step. A six-axis robot takes the card holder and places it in the build chamber of the freeformer. For the automatic opening and closing of the cowl, the freeformer and robotic system communicate via a Euromap 67 interface. The freeformer additively applies the desired 3D lettering from ABS in accordance with the information in the code.Industrial additive manufacturingWith a freeformer and numerous functional parts, Arburg will demonstrate at the NPE 2018 that Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF) is not only suitable for prototyping but also and especially for the industrial additive manufacturing of functional parts. At an interactive station, visitors will be able to actually pick up these parts to see their functionality and quality for themselves.
The open system affords users independence: freeformer customers can qualify their own materials using the APF process and optimize the freely programmable process parameters specifically to the application at hand. An enormous advantage in this context is that certified original materials can be used, for example for medical technology or the aerospace industry. In addition to amorphous standard granules such as ABS, PA, and PC, Arburg's continuously expanding range of qualified materials includes elastic TPE, medical-grade PLLA, PC approved for the aerospace industry, and semi-crystalline PP.
Anyone who wants to find out more about industrial additive manufacturing with the freeformer will have the opportunity to do so during an expert presentation by Arburg on 9 May at the "Additive Manufacturing" conference.
Source: Arburg
