Australian metal 3D printing company Aurora Labs has made some visible progress toward the development of new rapid metal 3D printing technology. Dubbed Medium and Large Format Printer, the process could significantly speed up the 3D printing of large metal parts.
In a press release 3D metal printing company, Aurora Labs, has just announced a breakthrough in the development of its Large Format Printer (LFP) concept. Currently a prototype, the metal 3D printing machine is planned to complement the company’s existing S-Titanium Pro metal 3D printer.
The new machine now operates at a rate comparable to current market machines. This in itself is unremarkable news, but the special thing here is that Aurora’s machine is currently printing “slow”.
The company’s goal is to hit a print speed of one tonne of metal per day. Believed to be an achievable target, this latest news release details the LFP’s successful test printing of 20 x 20mm metal layers.
Across two videos presented on the Aurora Labs website, we see a first stage in which a layer of metal plate is melted in the blink of an eye. This stage, the company notes, is a preparatory step before the addition metal printing powders.
In the second video we see something that more accurately represents the potential printing speeds the LTF could achieve, as a square layer of powder is formed into a solid sheet from what appears to be a sweeping sintering motion.
Metal printing in real time. (Image: Aurora Labs)
3D Printing Large Metal Parts in 24 Hours
David Budge, Managing Director at Aurora Labs, explains:
“Reaching the ability to print simple parts slowly is the latest of our outlined steps towards the development of our Large Format Technology. When we talk about printing simple parts slowly, this is equivalent to the same speed of other metal 3D printers currently in the market, while printing complex parts rapidly is targeting speeds that are approximately 100 times faster than existing 3D-printers. We look forward to announcing the achievement of additional goals along the way as we advance the development, and ultimate commercialization, of the technology.”
The Large Format Technology could ultimately present an alternate path to increased throughput of complex 3D printed metal parts to current market solutions. In addition to the prototype testing, the Australian company has also revealed that it is looking to raise $7 million by appointment of Hunter Capital Advisors.
Over the space of the next 11 months the Aurora Labs hopes to build two new test models, hone their capabilities, enter pre-production, gain certification and then move to full commercial production.
Source: Aurora Labs
Website: LINK
