Renishaw Unveils New Releases at Formnext

It’s always easy to tell when a convention is approaching by the lull in releases. Once the convention hits, though, a tidal wave of material quickly becomes available. The recent formnext conference saw the launch of several new additive manufacturing (AM) systems, with metal 3D printing making a big splash.

Renishaw was on hand at formnext, with two brand new metal AM systems, along with a new software release. Attendees got to take a look at the RenAM 500 and AM 400 metal 3D printers, and the company’s new QuantAM preparation software.

Renishaw’s new metal AM system, the RenAM 500. Courtesy of Renishaw.

The RenAM 500 is a metal AM system that utilizes Renishaw’s metal powder bed fusion process. Powdered metal is subjected to a 500 W ytterbium fiber laser in a 9.84 x 9.84 x 13.77 in. (250 x 250 x 350 mm) build envelope. Process emissions are handled by the company’s SafeChange filter, making the RenAM 500 a system that can be operated safely nearly any place. Unlike some competitors, this system offers open access to materials, rather than relying on proprietary delivery systems.

The AM 400 is an update to the AM 250 system, and also incorporates the SafeChange filter. The system boasts improved optical control software, and a new 400 W optical system, resulting in a reduced beam diameter of 70 µm. The build envelope for the AM 400 is 9.84 x 9.84 x 11.81 in. (250 × 250 × 300 mm), and it also offers open material access.

To further assist its clients’ AM needs, Renishaw also unveiled its QuantAM preparation software. According to the company the new software, “… is designed specifically for Renishaw AM platforms, allowing tighter integration into the machine control software and the ability to accurately and rapidly review all build files for Renishaw AM systems, including those from third party packages.”

Below you’ll find a video about Renishaw’s approach to AM.

Source: Renishaw