Another innovative additive manufacturing system that was on display at the recent Rapid + TCT show was the XJet Carmel AM Production System, which uses NanoParticle Jetting (NPJ) technology.
NPJ technology uses solid nanoparticles that are suspended in a liquid carried in a cartridge. The material is piped into the machine. Once in, thousands of nozzles simultaneously jet ultrafine drops of both build and support materials onto the system build tray. Multiple materials (build and support) can be jetted simultaneously, as in 2D printing.
Inside the system’s build envelope, high temperatures cause the suspension liquid “jacket” around the nanoparticles to evaporate, leaving dense ultrafine layers of the build material. Dense AM parts are created with virtually the same chemical composition of traditionally made parts.
Produced parts undergo a simple and standard sintering process, and support materials are easily removed. The easy and clean process enables smooth integration into existing operations, and short and simple post-processing.
One of the more recent US installations is at the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI), Youngstown, Ohio. Users are invited to YBI to use the machine to learn how to design for it and work with it.
XJet has closed several customer orders recently. One is a leading Russian service provider, AB Universal, and Israeli manufacturer Syqe Medical, known for its metered-dose medical inhaler. XJet has also disclosed that orders have been signed by world leading customers in Italy and Switzerland with details yet to be revealed.
Drawing on its almost 30-year experience in high-tech equipment, AB Universal has cited market potential for 3D printed technical ceramics in Russia as the driver for its investment. Syqe Medical however had a very specific need – extremely precise heat resistant parts for the production of its groundbreaking inhaler. Preferring additive manufacturing processes for reduced timescales and more creative freedom, XJet technology met the requirement according to Syqe Medical Founder and CEO, Perry Davidson.
XJet
Xjet3d.com
