Germany’s Concept Laser recently announced that its largest, most advanced metal 3D printing system, the X-Line 1000R, completed its beta development phase and is now ready for the market.
Designed to primarily service the automotive and aerospace industries, the 1000R contains a 1kW laser, a sizable jump in power over the company’s other 400W systems. With this new laser the 1000R is capable of building much larger components with a significantly improved construction rate.
Aside from its upgraded laser, Concept’s new machine also boasts the largest build envelope available in the metal sintering market, measuring in at 474 x 367 x 480 mm (18.6 x 14.4 x 18.9 in.). If that build envelope won’t suit your model, the 1000R’s height dimension can be expanded too. "When hybrid construction methods are used, geometries can be created that are somewhat above the ‘basic’ construction area dimensions, if necessary, with heights up to 540 mm [21.25in.]," said Dr. Florian Bechmann, Head of Development at Concept Laser.
Beyond lasers and build volume, Concept added further value to their systems by investing in materials research. In their new 1000R, titanium and titanium alloys can be printed to make lightweight, extra-large components that can take the place of sand and die cast models traditionally used in the early product development phase. What’s more, with Concept Laser’s LaserCUSING process, rigid, weight-optimized parts can be produced with few (if any) design restrictions.
With industry giants such as GE and Airbus championing large-scale metal 3D printing, Concept Laser’s play into the large-scale, high-fidelity printed prototype market should bolster adoption of their systems and increase competition in the laser sintering market.
Source: engineering.com
