A big hit this year was our very own Massivit 10000-G, which was launched at the show. Visitors at Formnext got to see a range of applications including complex molds, wash-away mandrels, masters, jigs and fixtures that all serve multiple industries.
The new model utilizes the company’s Cast In Motion technology, designed to overcome known bottlenecks in composite manufacturing. It offers all the benefits of automated mold production from the award-winning Massivit 10000, plus access to Massivit’s set of Dimengel photopolymer materials that have until now been used with the Massivit 3D Gel Dispensing Printing product line.
Live demonstrations on both the Massivit 10000-G and the company’s Massivit 5000 large-scale 3D printer ran throughout the duration of Formnext 2022, offering plenty of excitement for the many attendees of the show.
Big Attendance, Bigger Printing
That’s sure to put a smile on the face of organizers, such as Sascha F Wenzler, who was quoted in Metal AM saying “We are proud of the fact that Formnext has returned to its impressive pre-Covid level… demonstrat[ing] the importance of Formnext as the world’s premiere AM platform and the vital role of face-to-face interaction at Formnext for the further development of this highly innovative sector.”
While we loved seeing so many additive manufacturing professionals and enthusiasts in Frankfurt, a big turnout wasn’t the biggest observation for us. That distinction belongs to the state of large scale printing as a whole. Over the years we’ve seen Formnext evolve as quickly as the various technologies in the field. The pace of these developments was on full display this year, as a slew of additive manufacturing leaders were quick to point to their developments in big 3D printing.
Or as esteemed industry publication TCT described in their report, aptly titled Formnext 2022: 3D printing goes big while software shines, “large-format printing was noticeably big” at the show. This dovetails with emerging needs among many industries, which are keen to take advantage of the benefits of large scale 3D printing, such as tool-less manufacturing of FRP parts.
Don’t Sacrifice Speed
While seeing larger printed pieces is becoming more commonplace, they almost always come with the caveat of speed. Printing big has always meant printing slowly. Attendees at Formnext were treated to a live demonstration of gel-based technology from Massivit, which has turned the big = slow equation on its head. With print speeds as much as 30 times faster than other 3D printers, Massivit additive manufacturing systems certainly brought a “wow” factor to most any booth visitor.
With far-ranging applications in the marine, automotive, and rail industries, large scale Massivit printers are already hard at work around the world. Whether printing molds and tools, or the end-use parts themselves, manufacturers and print service bureaus are benefiting from shortened timelines, reduced labor needs, and overall cost savings.
“The printer just allows us to do so much more at the same time,” explained a design engineer from boatmaker Velum Nautica. “Now we can print a mold instead of having two team members manually produce wooden panels for example. So those two workers are now free to work on other projects while the printer continues the work for them. This allows us to take on more work and more customers without sacrificing quality.”
Want to learn more about how large scale additive manufacturing can help your business? Contact us today to speak with an expert and even have a sample printed just for you!