RP Technology in Europe

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RP Technology in Europe
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Germany

• Electro Optical Systems (EOS)
• Bayerisches Laserzentrum (BLZ)
• Cubital
• DTM
• Fockele and Schwarze

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Processes

• EOS
• STEREOS
• Laser Sintering
• BLZ
• Laser Sintering
• Laser Ablation
• Lamination

• Cubital
• SGC
• DTM
• HS SLS
• Fockele and Schwarze
• Electrostatic recoating

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EOS

• STEREOS
• Three models 250, 400, and 600
• Use HeCd, argon and solid-state lasers
• Build at layers of as low as 0.05 mm
• Non-dipping recoat system
• Laser Sintering
• Powders are joined by a variety of mechanisms
• Used for plastics, metal and foundry sand

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BLZ

• Laser Sintering
• Working with EOS to improve their laser sintering
  process
• Laser Ablation
• Laser is used to remove material at up to 1cubic
  meter/ min in melting mode
• Lamination
• Layers built one at a time then bolted together

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Cubital

• SGC
• Uses UV light to selectively cure thin layers of
  liquid monomer
• Electro statically charged glass plate is used as
  a masking device

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DTM

• HS SLS
• High Speed Selective Laser Sintering
• Creates3-dimensional objects directly from 3-D
  CAD files using a CO2 laser to fuse powder
  materials
• Multi-material capabilities

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Fockele and Schwarze

• experimenting with a 2 W NdYAG solid-state laser
• This laser has a number of potential advantages
  over the existing Ar ion laser
• Electrostatic Recoating
• electrostatic blade moves above the surface of
  the bath and attracts the photopolymer up to the
  blade and spreads it over a layer without any
  necessity for "deep dip."

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Sweden

• Arcam
• Electron Beam Melting (EBM)
• Electron beams are projected at powdered metal at
  half the speed of light
• Part is built up layer by layer in a vacuum
• Excess metal powder is recycled
• Parts can be tested immediately in actual
  physical conditions.

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Belgium

• KU-Leuven Production Engineering
• Selective Metalpowder Sintering (SMS)
• A 500W CW NdYAG laser fuses deposited, compacted
  powdered metal layers as small as 0.1mm.
• Fe-Cu or Stainless Steel-Cu powders
• Sintering is performed in an inert gas
  environment to prevent oxidation of metal powders

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• European RP technology seems to want to evolve to
  a refinement of RP technology into production
  technology for precision parts.

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References

• http//www.wtec.org/loyola/rp/