• Freeformer 750-3X: additive manufacturing of functional components from original plastic granules
• TiQ2: entry-level machine produces equipment flexibly, quickly and economically "on demand"
• Practical example: robotic gripper specially designed for the careful removal of injection-moulded parts
At Fakuma 2024, Arburg (Hall A3, Stand 3101) is showcasing two exhibits used for industrial additive manufacturing. The focus will be on applications that are of particular interest to injection moulding customers. A Freeformer 750-3X with a high temperature design will process original plastic granules into functional components in hard-soft combinations. The TiQ 2 filament printer will demonstrate how equipment and robot grippers are 3D printed.
ARBURGadditive offers comprehensive, innovative 3D printing technology based on granules, filaments and liquid silicone. The entry-level TiQ 2 device is particularly suitable for daily use in an industrial and injection moulding environment. It uses the fused filament fabrication (FFF) method to process fibre-reinforced filaments into grippers and operating equipment, for example. The Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF) with the Freeformer is ideal for the additive manufacturing of functional components from original plastic granules. LiQ series 3D printers use LAM (Liquid Additive Manufacturing) technology to process liquid silicone.
The Freeformer 750-3X processes original plastic granules
At Fakuma 2024, a Freeformer 750-3X with a high-temperature design will produce sophisticated functional components from a wide range of different plastic granulates. These include materials with specific approvals and certifications for use in sectors such as medicine, electronics, mobility and aerospace. The temperature of the build chamber can be raised to 200 degrees Celsius and the granulate is plasticised at up to 450 degrees Celsius. The component carrier that lends the system its name is 750 square centimetres in size. The high-end machine has three discharge units, meaning that even complex geometries and functional hard-soft combinations with support material can be created. This industrial 3D printer can be used to quickly and flexibly additively manufacture and customise larger functional components or small batches, using the APF method.
TiQ 2 for the 3D printing of equipment
The TiQ 2 3D printer is particularly economical and, with its open material system, is predestined for successful entry into the world of additive manufacturing. It is possible, for example, to produce resilient suction grippers and mechanical grippers quickly, flexibly and cost-effectively. In addition to the additive manufacturing of end-of-arm tooling (EOAT), the open material system is perfect for the cost-effective 3D printing of devices and other operating equipment.
Arburg’s additive expertise: 3D parts on demand
A practical example of how 3D printing and automated injection moulding processes optimally complement each other is the production of plant pots. An electric Allrounder 720 A injection moulding machine with a 4-cavity mould makes thin-walled pots from recycled material. In order to carefully remove these from the tool, Osko relies on special packaging automation equipment with grippers which are precisely adapted to the product. This equipment can be 3D printed quickly and on demand. The sturdy black centre piece, made of fibre-reinforced plastic filament, is manufactured using a TiQ printer. It is two to three times lighter, and significantly more cost-effective, than an aluminium component. The four hard-soft combination white gripping rings were produced by a Freeformer using the APF process. To remove the plant pots, the soft gripper part is "inflated" with compressed air, whereby the injection moulded part is secured and carefully handled.
Optimised data processing and seamless documentation
Data processing and the Gestica controller, which was developed and manufactured by Arburg in-house, have been optimised in terms of process stability, component quality and build time. The result is significantly reduced costs per part and lower material usage.
For seamless documentation and traceability of each individual part, there is the "ProcessLog" customer portal app. This allows a wide range of process and build job data from parts manufactured using the APF process to be displayed in clear graphical form and documented – which in turn ensures transparency, high part quality and can significantly reduce rejects and error rates.
