Brighton, Mich. — KraussMaffei introduced its large-scale additive manufacturing machine, the powerPrint, at the 2022 K show in Germany. Now the technology is on display in the United States, at the company's facility in Brighton.
PowerPrint has fast production rates, with a print speed of 300 millimeters per second, which can process up to 70 kilograms per hour. Its efficient thermal management allows the chamber temperature to go up to 60° C.
"Each zone is individually heated, so depending on what you need in each zone, and depending on how much material you're printing, we can control that individually," said Dan Rozelman, technical and application sales manager at KraussMaffei.
The machine can also adjust wall thickness with different nozzle uses, with a range of 4-20 mm, and as low as 2 mm for certain materials. The printing bed has 16 different heating zones.
KraussMaffei also has ready-to-use materials including recycled glycol-modifed PET with 30 percent glass fiber; polyetherimide with 20 percent carbon fiber; ABS with 20 percent carbon fiber; polycarbonate with 20 percent carbon fiber; polypropylene with 30 percent carbon fiber; and PC unfilled.
The company said that testing shows the longevity of products made with the powerPrint can be expected to last just as long as parts made using alternative methods, depending on the application.
In a test application, KM is using the powerPrint to print a riser for an automotive instrument panel foam tool with direct mounting. This project takes 14.5 hours to print and is made with recycled PETG with 30 percent glass fiber. Originally, the part made of full aluminum would cost $10,000, but using the powerPrint can save up to $3,000.
"It's not an end-all be-all solution. I can't tell you every time we're going to be cheaper and better than metal," Rozelman said.
Other applications being tested include forms for composite, patterns for sand casting, customized furniture, housing structures and customized transport aids.
The company does see further potential in the powerPrint in more applications such as thermoforming and foam tooling, elements in automotive and marine, special pallets and corrugate sheet dividers.
KraussMaffei is offering training, material testing and printing on demand.
So far, all sales of the machine have been from Europe, but the company is experiencing more interest from North American customers since moving a machine to the Brighton facility.