TAGS: 3D Printing Medical Machinery
Arburg to present the capabilities of the Freeformer, an industrial 3D printer at formnext connect 2020. The Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF) process with the Freeformer is predestined for medical technology, the processing of soft materials and PP, as well as for the additive manufacturing of multi-component parts. High-temperature plastics can also be processed using the open system.
All these special capabilities will be shown by Arburg during the formnext connect 2020, also in three expert presentations. In addition, Arburg will present the integration of the Freeformer into the digital customer portal arburgXworld as special titbit.
Suitable for Bio-compatible and FDA-approved Materials
The Freeformer in sizes 200-3X and 300-3X process plastic granulates of the kind also used in injection molding. This makes the open systems very economical and enables a big variety of materials to be used. This also makes it possible to process bio-compatible, absorbable and sterilizable as well as FDA-approved original materials to be used. This in turn opens the door to new possibilities, also for human applications.
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In medical technology, we can also accomplish very demanding applications with the AKF process that other processes simply cannot handle”, explains Lukas Pawelczyk, head of Freeformer sales at Arburg. As an example, Pawelczyk names absorbable implants. As well as Resomer Composite LR 706 S ß-TCP, a product similar to human bone that promotes bone formation, the Freeformer was recently used to process another innovative material from Evonik: The polymer from the Resomer-C family is used in the soft tissue sector.
Parts Similar to Injection Molded Parts
With the additive AKF process, it is possible to produce parts from soft materials in virtually all Shore hardnesses.
In relation to mechanical load-bearing capacity, recoil characteristics, UV stability and endurance strength, these parts share almost the same properties as injection molded parts. With the slicing parameters, various material densities can be achieved within a part.
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Completely functional prototypes made of soft thermoplastic elastomers are mainly in demand in the automotive industry,” explains Pawelczyk. During the digital event in Frankfurt, Arburg does not only present automotive parts but also shows the production of a flexible shoe sole and, as an impressive example of multi-component injection molding, the production of a functional part made of semi-crystalline PP and flexible TPE as a classic hard/soft-combination. The production of medical and technical parts from high-temperature plastics rounds off the spectrum.
Arburg to present the capabilities of the Freeformer, an industrial 3D printer. The Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF) process with the Freeformer is predestined for medical technology, the processing of soft materials and PP, as well as for the additive manufacturing of multi-component parts.
Source: Arburg