Automated depowdering is a comparatively new self-discipline in additive manufacturing and nonetheless: since Solukon was based and the world’s first depowdering system, the SFM-AT800-S, was launched in 2015, a lot of profitable ideas have grow to be established in the marketplace. Crucial of those embody:
- Depowdering should happen in a protected ambiance – Well being dangers from wonderful mud and the hazard of explosions are successfully managed solely when utilizing a sealed course of chamber. For reactive supplies, the method chamber is inerted with a protecting gasoline.
- Depowdering should be reproducible – This implies attaining constant cleansing outcomes for equivalent elements (i.e., repeatability). What might sound apparent or like a no brainer is definitely an ordinary that may solely really be maintained with automated powder elimination utilizing Solukon.
- One of the best cleansing result’s achieved by the mixture of rotation and vibration excitation – Countless rotation round two axes and focused vibration excitation make the adhering powder flowable inside inner channels. The excitation depth of the vibrator will be adjusted in Solukon’s powder elimination techniques. Nevertheless, how the pneumatically generated vibrations really act on the half is extremely particular person and relies on the geometry of the element. What issues is the outcome: the powder behaves like a liquid and flows out of inner channels. Powder clumps are damaged up by a high-frequency knocker, which will also be activated when wanted.
Till just lately, the mixture of a pneumatic vibrator and a knocker to stimulate vibration would have been on this record of primary ideas for depowdering. It is because pneumatic vibrators are dependable, cost-effective and extremely environment friendly. Nevertheless, they devour giant quantities of compressed air and are tough to manage, which might result in issues with delicate elements. It is because exceeding the resonance frequency might harm the elements in delicate constructions.
With the introduction of the E model of the SFM-AT350 depowdering system, Solukon has due to this fact expanded the toolbox of excitations and introduced a system with ultrasonic excitation onto the market. The SFM-AT350-E depowders elements up to 400 x 400 x 400 mm and 100 kg totally routinely with programmable 2-axis rotation and frequency excitation within the ultrasonic vary.
What can ultrasonic excitation do, and what are its key benefits?
Within the SFM-AT350-E, the element is worked up at ultrasonic frequencies utilizing a piezoelectric system. The excitation is utilized straight on the turntable of the automated depowdering system, permitting the element to be introduced effortlessly and exactly into an optimum vibration state.
What makes this strategy distinctive is that as a substitute of utilizing a set frequency, the system constantly and quickly sweeps by a particular frequency vary by which cleansing is especially efficient. This sweeping ensures extremely dependable cleansing by using well-defined frequencies throughout the ultrasonic vary.
The ultra-high frequencies used for electrical excitation are nicely above the element’s probably damaging pure resonance frequency. This prevents the element from resonating and eliminates the danger of structural harm. Consequently, ultrasonic depowdering is an particularly mild type of cleansing.
One other benefit: ultrasonic excitation is totally silent. This enables the SFM-AT350-E to be put in even outdoors noisy, high-throughput manufacturing environments.
When is ultrasound the suitable type of excitation?
As with many challenges associated to powder elimination, selecting between pneumatic and ultrasonic excitation largely relies on the precise utility and the geometry of the element. Each strategies can ship efficient cleansing outcomes. Nevertheless, ultrasound is usually the popular choice for elements with extraordinarily delicate options or fragile help constructions, because it avoids the oscillations usually related to pneumatic excitation—significantly lowering the danger of element harm from vibrational stress. Even very wonderful constructions (usually lower than 0.5 mm in diameter) reply exceptionally nicely to high-frequency ultrasonic excitation.
As well as, powder can grow to be clogged in slender and deep channels if the excitation shouldn’t be utilized appropriately. Ultrasonic excitation is able to reliably cleansing such channels and might even dislodge present blockages.
The next comparative check performed by a Solukon buyer highlights some great benefits of ultrasonic expertise in cleansing slender and lengthy channels:
What particular use instances are there?
Swiss m4m: Depowdering of medical elements
The SFM-AT350-E has confirmed to be a super system for the medical business particularly. Typical purposes listed here are hip cups, which have a grid-like construction on the floor. Such acetabular cups, along with spinal inserts and dental instruments, had been a part of a construct job on the Swiss m4m Middle, a expertise switch middle for the medical and dental business.
It took simply 7.5 minutes to wash the chrome steel medical elements within the SFM-AT350-E with ultrasonic excitation.
The Exploration Firm: Depowdering of a Thruster Combustion Chamber of a rocket engine
The ultrasonic expertise of the SFM-AT350-E has additionally already confirmed itself within the aerospace business, the place notably excessive calls for are positioned on industrial depowdering. The worldwide aerospace firm “The Exploration Firm” depends on ultrasonic excitation with the SFM-AT350-E from Solukon for the depowdering of rocket elements.
This combustion chamber manufactured from Inconel (IN718) weighs round 15 kg, is round 370 mm excessive and has a extremely advanced inside: the intricate channels are as much as 400 mm lengthy, and the smallest diameter of those channels is 1.5 mm.
With the SFM-AT350-E, the staff led by Senior Additive Manufacturing Engineer Maxi Strixner was capable of clear the element comfortably, gently and silently. For the focused cleansing of the rocket combustion chamber, the staff ran a cleansing program specifically written for the element. After half-hour, the element was efficiently cleaned.
For the Exploration Firm, the silent cleansing and the dependable cleansing high quality are the principle the reason why they selected the SFM-AT350-E from Solukon:
“The Solukon ultrasonic depowdering system has been a game-changer for our small workshop. Its quiet design means we are able to run it proper subsequent to our workspace with none disruption — which is a giant plus. When used with a program, the system drastically cuts down on handbook labor, and delivers constant, clear outcomes. All of this interprets into actual time and value financial savings, making the funding completely worthwhile,” says Boris Schaff, Additive Manufacturing Engineer at The Exploration Firm.
Ultrasonic expertise as a brand new device within the powder elimination toolbox
Because the examples present, the ultrasonic expertise of the SFM-AT350-E has already confirmed itself in the marketplace. And nonetheless: the E-version is on no account a substitute for the SFM-AT350’s normal depowdering expertise with pneumatic excitation. Ultrasonic excitation is moderately a further device within the toolbox of automated depowdering.
SFM-AT350-E Fast Information
– Depowdering system with ultrasonic excitation
– For elements as much as 400 x 400 x 400 mm and 100 kg
– Noiseless depowdering
– Low compressed air consumption
– Mild cleansing
Head to the Solukon web site for extra data.
