CN/EN
CN/EN
The BMW Group has integrated a Solukon SFP770 unpacking and cleaning station for 3D printed plastic parts at its Additive Manufacturing Campus.
With the SFP770, the BMW Group will bel able to combine two necessary post-processing steps into one, streamlining its current prototyping workflows.
The SFP770, which uses ionised compressed air to clean and finish SLS parts, is compatible with the EOS P 770, Formiga P110 and EOS P 500 systems. Designed to encompass the 3D printer’s entire build envelope, Solukon says the machine can process a fully loaded build box with an assembly space of 150 litres in only 30 minutes, making it possible to complete several jobs per day.
After parts are loaded into the SFP770, a vibrating sieve cover rotates gently overhead following an optimal programmable process that gradually unpacks components. Loose powder is extracted from the sieve cover and moved to a recycling unit, while the build box rotates towards the basket and opens the sieve cover. Now functioning as a slide, the sieve cover places the parts into the basket, which rotates in the direction of the blasting unit and begins turning. Glass bead blasting and the ionised air then work to remove residual powders. Users are able to programme online process parameters, such as rotation angle, blast intensity, distance and basket rotation, while the automatic transfer process can be paused to remove certain components that should not be cleaned automatically.
“Because so many process parameters can be programmed, the SFP770 achieves the best cleaning results, regardless of the part material and without any manual intermediate steps. Our system offers another advantage: parts of different shapes and sizes can be cleaned at the same time,” commented CEO and CTO Andreas Hartmann of Solukon.
BMW was recently part of a group of collaborators that declared a pilot automated additive manufacturing production line a success, with BMW now set to continue using the automated workflow to produce plastic parts for the automotive industry.
