Trumpf is expanding its technology and product range in the field of industrial 3D printers. The company has released its TruPrint 1000 laser metal fusion (LMF) machine. The compact model can generate parts 100 x 100mm. All the components are integrated into the compact housing, including the laser, optics, process enclosure, filter unit and control cabinet.
The supply cylinder provides capacity for up to 1.4 litres of stainless steel, tool steel, aluminium or other weldable material in powdered form. The system uses a 200W laser to fuse powder corresponding to the contour of the part, before the construction chamber is lowered and the procedure repeated. At every return to the supply cylinder, a mechanical design tilts the coating mechanism slightly. Thus it can retract relatively quickly, without colliding with the powder bed or the part generated up to that point.
Trumpf has also developed a prototype of the TruPrint 3000. With this larger model, also using LMF technology, parts measuring up to 400 x 300mm can be generated for industrial manufacturing.