ExOne Introduces New X1 160PRO Metal 3D Printer

The ExOne Company has revealed debut of its 10th and largest metal 3D printer to date: the X1 160PRO.

Built for high throughput and large-part production, the new X1 160PRO metal 3D printer offers build dimensions of 800x500x400 mm, delivering 160 liters of total build volume—large enough to produce investment cast parts used in the automotive, aerospace and defense industries, according to the company.

The open material system is capable of 3D printing six qualified metals, including stainless steels 316L, 304L and 17-4PH, as well as some ceramics, into dense and reliable final parts using ExOne’s exclusive Triple Advanced Compaction Technology (ACT) system.

With print speeds topping 10,000 cm³/hour, depending on print material, the X1 160PRO is designed to deliver the quality parts at production speeds. The new system also features Industry 4.0 cloud connectivity and process-linking capabilities enabled by Siemens MindSphere.

“Our technology roadmap has been leading us to this machine for more than two decades,” says John Hartner, ExOne CEO. “At the same time, the X1 160PRO was also designed in response to growing demand from automotive, defense and aerospace customers. We’re incredibly proud of what this model means for the future of metal 3D printing and sustainable production of large metal parts without design limitations.”

The X1 160PRO joins ExOne’s growing family of metal 3D printers, which includes the Innovent+, an entry-level system used globally for research, design and small part production, and the X1 25PRO, a mid-size production 3D printer that is large enough for most metal parts manufactured today. The X1 25PRO begins shipping to customers this quarter and was slated to be shown for the first time in Europe in November at Formnext 2019 in Frankfurt, Germany. The X1 160PRO is slated to ship in late 2020.

Triple ACT System for Volume Production

The X1 160PRO features ExOne’s Triple Advanced Compaction Technology (ACT) system. ExOne’s Triple ACT tackles the challenge of binder jetting metal powders to so-called perfection: dispensing, spreading and uniformly compacting ultra-fine powders with an average particle size, or D50, of 9 microns. These powders’ cohesiveness makes them prone to caking and difficult to dispense. ExOne’s technology overcomes this challenge, the company reports.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.

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