Are Your Additive Polymer Parts Breaking During Post Processing?
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Growing utilization of additive manufacturing for volume production of plastic components has increased the demand for cost-efficiency and high-quality surface finishes. That’s why AM Solutions, a brand of the Rosler Group, has further expanded its product portfolio with the development of a media type specifically for the post processing of plastic components.
Designed specifically for work pieces printed with MJF and SLS powder-bed-based technology, AM Solutions’ media permits the safe, cost-efficient finishing of 3D printed components with different shapes and sizes in one single process step and with absolutely repeatable results. This eliminates the time-consuming and costly media changes for different processing stages.
In combination with an understanding of respective printing processes, the media mix generates a perfect, finely structured, and highly homogeneous surface finish.
Experience-Based Design
For this novel product, the AM Solutions experts took advantage of the comprehensive development know-how of the Rösler Oberflächentechnik GmbH. With more than 15,000 products Rosler offers the largest portfolio of media and compounds in the world by far.
High versatility makes finishing processes simpler, safer, and more cost-effective. The material, shape, and size of the media has been perfectly adapted to the post-processing requirements of 3D printed plastic components.
“The composition of the media mix was developed through numerous processing trials,” said Christoph Bätz, Project Engineer at AM Solutions. “The result is a product that allows the surface finishing of a broad spectrum of components with different shapes and sizes. Irrespective of whether small, delicate work pieces or large components must be treated, the result is always a highly homogeneous, consistent, and repeatable finish.”
Simplified Processes
The grinding performance depends on the geometrical complexity of the work pieces. For certain applications, the surface roughness can be reduced from Ra = 15 μm to Ra = 3 μm within 240 minutes.
Multi-stage finishing processes frequently require multiple media changes. Since the new MJF/SLS media already contains an optimum mix of different shapes and sizes, the need for such changes could be eliminated.
Maintaining the correct processing sequence is also no longer necessary. This facilitates the overall handling ease considerably.
Since the media type can be used for a broad range of applications, there is no longer a need to stock multiple media types for different work piece categories, presenting a significant cost saving.
Increased Benefits
Higher cost-efficiency is only one part of the story. The media also helps improve the stability and safety of the finishing processes.
Thanks to its mostly digitized and tightly controlled manufacturing process, consistently high quality of the ceramic media is guaranteed.
“Decades of valuable experience allow us to continuously develop new products that offer a significant added value for our customers and provide solutions to the challenges they have to face,” Rainer Schindhelm, Division Manager for the Production of Consumables at Rösler Oberflächentechnik GmbH comments. “The perfectly adapted interaction between machines, consumables, and process know-how makes the innovative, unique solutions of Rösler and its brand AM Solutions' 3D post-processing technology highly successful.”
Adaptive Results
The media allows for efficient surface grinding of extremely delicate components without causing any damage.
Typically, surface finishing of particularly delicate work pieces with complex geometries poses especially demanding 3D post-processing challenges. In combination with optimized printing methods, the media mix generates highly homogeneous results for these difficult finishing tasks while simultaneously minimizing scrap and reducing costs.
Work pieces with delicate, fine structures pose significant post-processing challenges. At left, problems frequently caused by inefficient post processing are shown. At right, improved results delivered using Rosler and AM Solutions’ offerings are shown.
Finding a better way…
Utilizing Rosler’s more than 80 years of expertise, AM Solutions 3D post-processing technology can assist you in optimizing your engineering and improving overall results. At Rosler, “Finding a better way…” is more than a motto. Contact us today to discuss your challenges!