05.23.2024
Thanks to its adapted arm design, the SFM-AT350/-E can now accommodate parts weighing up to 100 kg as well as plates of the flagship printers EOS M 400 and Nikon SLM 500. For the first time, at Rapid + TCT in Los Angeles, the upgraded depowdering system can be viewed live.
With the exception of parts for the medical sector, which tend to be small and stout and often have lattice structures, there is a clear trend in the medium-sized part segment: the total weight of LPBF parts has increased. One reason for this is that the parts are usually produced on solid build plates, sometimes with numerous complex support structures. As an immediate downstream process, depowdering must grow hand in hand with printing. This is why Solukon has upgraded its SFM-AT350 depowdering system, which is leading the market.
In the future, the SFM-AT350 will be able to accommodate parts with a total weight of up to 100 kg and dimensions of 400 x 400 x 400 or 500 x 280 x 400 mm. The SFM-AT350 was originally designed only for parts weighing up to 60 kilograms and was only compatible with parts measuring a maximum of 350 mm on the X-axis. The increase in total permitted weight is achieved exclusively through an adapted arm design, which means that the chamber volume and the associated inert gas consumption remain the same. With this upgrade, Solukon has also increased the compatibility of its system. “Many of our current and potential customers print their medium-sized parts on an M 400 from EOS or a Nikon SLM® 500. The upgraded SFM-AT350 is now compatible with both of these printers and therefore covers two more key additive manufacturing systems in this size range,” said CEO/CTO Andreas Hartmann from Solukon. The new version of the SFM-AT350 offers customers with larger, highly complex components, such as in the aerospace or medical sectors, an ideal depowdering system at an optimum price-performance ratio. For parts with the dimensions mentioned above and weights higher than 100 kilograms, the next larger depowdering system, the SFM-AT800-S, is the ideal peripheral device.
Since its launch in October 2021, the SFM-AT350 from Solukon has established itself in the global market as the ideal system for medium-sized parts and is currently used in 17 countries.
The system features a compact design in conjunction with generous freedom of movement and unique digital functions. With the SPR-Pathfinder software, the ideal motion sequence can be automatically calculated in advance based on the part’s CAD file: no programming is required with the SFM-AT350. The optional Digital-Factory-Tool is a sensor and interface kit that tracks all the key data on the depowdering operation and summarizes it in a protocol file to ensure maximum transparency.
“These smart features have also become a must in the medium-sized part segment since the parts and support structures are becoming more and more complex here too. We are pleased that we were able to launch two sophisticated digital tools on the market so early with the DFT and SPR-Pathfinder software and have once again demonstrated our innovative strength. The aim of the latest upgrade is to offer users with larger components weighing up to 100 kg a cost-optimized solution without compromising on functionality. No other system in this segment offers so many equipment options and functionality and closes an important gap in the growing price pressure in the service sector,” explains Andreas Hartmann.
As of October 2023, the SFM-AT350 is also available in two excitation variants. The SFM-AT350 has adjustable pneumatic vibration with the option of adding a knocker. As an alternative, the SFM-AT350-E can come with piezoelectric excitation, which cleans parts very gently by using very high, self-regulating ultrasonic vibration.
