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Formnext – Hub for Additive Manufacturing

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Additive Manufacturing for polymers

Additive Manufacturing with polymers represents the majority of the additively produced components. Here you will find an overview of the most important processes.

Powder Bed Fusion (PBF)

Powder Bed Fusion

Fused with agent + energy = MJF (Multi Jet Fusion)

Fused with laser = SLS (Selective Laser Sintering)

MJF (Multi Jet Fusion)

MJF (Multi Jet Fusion)

Tiny liquid droplets are applied locally to a layer of polymer powder. They increase or suppress the heat absorption of the powder. An integrally acting infrared source melts the material respectively.

 

SLS (Selective Laser Sintering)

SLS (Selective Laser Sintering)

By means of a movable laser beam, a polymer powder is selectively sintered locally layer by layer and thus solidifies a cross-section of the component.

 

Material Extrusion

Material Extrusion

Material extrusion Filament = FDM (Fused Deposition)

Material extrusion Granulate = APF (Arburg Plastic Freeforming)

FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)

FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)

Wire-shaped plastic, so-called filament, is plasticized in a nozzle unit and selectively dosed locally layer by layer.

APF (Arburg Plastic Freeforming)

PEM Pellert Extrusion Modeling

Plastic granulate is plasticized in a nozzle unit and selectively dosed locally layer by layer.

 

Material Jetting

Material Jetting

Cured with UV light = MJ (Material Jetting)

MJ (Material Jetting)

MJ (Material Jetting)

Small droplets of photopolymer are applied locally and layer by layer through many nozzles. The viscous photopolymer is then cured instantly by UV-light.

 

Photopolymerization

Photopolymerization

Cured with laser = SLA (Stereolithography)

Cured with projector = DLP (Direct Light Processing)

SLA (Stereo Lithography)

SLA (Stereolithography)

By means of a movable laser beam, a viscous photopolymer is selectively cured locally in layers and solidifies there.

 

DLP (Direct Light Processing)

DLP (Direct Light Processing)

A photopolymer is exposed layer by layer using a projector. The exposed material is polymerized locally and solidifies.