Italian debut at Plast 2015
The Freeformer will be presented for the first time in Italy, demonstrating how one-off parts and small, multiple-variant batches can be produced from standard granulate without a mould in an additive manufacturing process, using Arburg Plastic Freeforming (AKF). The applications on view in the injection moulding area will include multi-component and LSR processing, including automation, as well as applications for the packaging industry and the medical technology sector. “The Plast in Milan is a must for the Italian plastics industry and the perfect platform in order to gain insight into where Italian market is moving and which new areas of activity we can open up for our subsidiary,” explains Björn Noren, managing director of Arburg. "Our strengths lie in technically sophisticated precision applications in the areas of medical technology, packaging and cosmetics in combination with complex automation. A special highlight this year will be the Freeformer. This innovative system for the industrial additive manufacturing of one-off parts and multi-variant small-volume batches is close to be launched onto the Italian market." With the Freeformer, fully functional plastic parts can be additively manufactured from standard granulate using the patented “Arburg Plastic Freeforming” process based on 3D CAD data, without the need for a mould. As with injection moulding, the granulate is first melted in a plasticising cylinder. Plastic droplets are applied layer-by-layer onto a moving part carrier via the nozzle of a stationary discharge unit, using high-frequency piezo technology at a specified duty cycle of 60 to 200 Hertz. The second discharge unit can be used for an additional component - for example, to produce a part in different colours, with special tactile qualities, or as a hard/soft combination. At the Plast 2015, a Freeformer will combine standard ABS material with a special support material to produce a key fob featuring a ball joint. The supporting structures are simply removed later in a water bath.
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