Example parts produced
using Prima Additive
technology
Broadened offers
Andrew Allcock catches up with some of the latest developments in the additive manufacturing fi eld,
with two new product launches of signifi cance, one from laser profi ling specialist Prima Power UK, the
other from German metalcutting machine tool fi rm Chiron
The entrance into the additive
manufacturing (AM) eld by
metalworking or metalcutting machine
tool makers is not a new phenomenon. DMG
Mori and Trumpf are two that are already well
established in the AM area. But more still join
the small band of metalcutters/formers
broadening their ranges.
Prima Power UK (www.is.gd/vovaye) has
recently launched a completely new range of
machinery solutions for additive
manufacturing, produced by Prima Additive –
the specialist division of the global Prima
Industrie Group. This builds on the company’s
laser processing technology that apart from
laser pro ling machines also takes in
Laserdyne laser drilling, laser welding and
laser cutting technology.
From a purpose-built innovation centre at
the Prima Power headquarters and technical
centre in Turin, Prima Additive offers a range
of solutions for both powder-bed fusion and
laser metal deposition technologies that draw
on this long-established laser-based
processing experience for industrial
applications.
Powder-bed fusion sees lasers melt
speci c points on a layer of metallic powder,
building up multiple layers to form the
nished component. In laser metal
deposition, an alternative approach of directly
applying the powder at the focal point of the
laser is used, thus allowing the manufacture
of much larger pieces that are only limited by
the machine capacity, rather than the size of
a powder bed.
For power-bed fusion processes, the Prima
Additive Print Sharp and Print Genius models
feature a compact and easy-to-use solution
with build volume capacities of up to 262 by
262 by 350 mm. The Print Sharp 250 utilises
a single 200 or 500 W power laser for a build
rate of up to 30 cm3/hour, whereas the more
powerful Print Genius 250 uses twin 500 W
power lasers to achieve a faster build rate of
up to 50 cm3/hour.
Components with complex geometries can
be produced with an excellent degree of
accuracy and quality for a wide range of
applications, says the company. Operation is
via an easy-to-use, intuitive HMI and Prima
28 May/June 2020 | www.machinery.co.uk | MachineryMagazine | @MachineryTweets
/vovaye)
/www.machinery.co.uk