3D printed from gripper to implant

Freeformer performance 3D printed from gripper to implant

2025-01-30 Source: Arburg | Translated by AI 3 min Reading Time

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From April 8 to 10, 2025, Arburgadditive will present much from its additive manufacturing portfolio in Detroit. Included is the Freeformer 750-3X.

Arburgadditive will exhibit at Rapid+tct 2025 in early April in Detroit. A focus will be the Freeformer 750-3X designed for high-temperature printing (pictured), as we learn. But the corresponding types of plastics will also be presented ...(Image: Arburg) — Arburgadditive will exhibit at Rapid+tct 2025 in early April in Detroit. A focus will be the Freeformer 750-3X designed for high-temperature printing (pictured), as we learn. But the corresponding types of plastics will also be presented ...
(Image: Arburg)

As part of Rapid+tct 2025, Arburg is presenting, in addition to the machine exhibit mentioned above, innovative application examples. A wide range of materials that can be processed with the industrial Arburg 3D printers can also be viewed at the booth. Equally interesting and sustainable is the possibility of using expensive polymers multiple times in Arburg Plastic Freeforming (AKF) to return them to the recycling loop. Let's get more specific...

A flexible Freeformer in high-temperature version

In Detroit, a Freeformer 750-3X in a high-temperature version is being presented. It allows for the additive manufacturing of demanding functional components from various plastic granules. The build chamber can be heated up to 200°C (392°F), with the plasticizing process reaching up to 450°C (842°F). The machine also features three discharge units, enabling the construction of complex geometries and functional multi-material combinations with support material, as Arburg further explains. In the AKF process, this industrial 3D printer can quickly and flexibly print larger functional components or small series, which can also be individualized.

High-tech plastics for additive manufacturing

The plastic granules presented by Arburg are also used for manufacturing components that require specific approvals and certifications, such as in medicine, electronics, mobility, or aerospace. These include Ultem 9085 (PEI = polyetherimide), LMPEAK (low melting polyaryletherketone), and PEEK (polyetheretherketone). New to the AKF material portfolio, however, is Grilamid TR 90 for food and drinking water applications. This amorphous PA12 has been made suitable for 3D printing by Arburgadditive in cooperation with Ems Chemie. To promote sustainability, break-away support structures—such as those made from Ultem 9085—can be crushed and reused multiple times in the form of flakes.

Print spare parts as soon as they are needed

As Arburgadditive further explains, a major advantage of additive manufacturing is the ability to produce spare parts exactly where and when they are needed. As a practical example, light switches made from flame-retardant PC/ABS compound (polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) are shown, which the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) have manufactured on demand with a Freeformer for their night trains. The Freeformer is also suitable for the quick and cost-effective production of operating resources and so-called end-of-arm tools (EOAT). The production of plant pots at Osko, for example, demonstrates how 3D printing and automated injection molding processes complement each other optimally. The injection-molded pots are gently handled with a special packaging automation using 3D-printed grippers precisely adapted to the product, as Arburgadditive explains. The stable black gripper middle piece is made of fiber-reinforced plastic and is thus two to three times lighter and cheaper than an aluminum counterpart, as the exhibitor emphasizes. The four white gripper rings in a hard-soft combination were produced using the AKF process. The soft gripper is "inflated" with compressed air to fix the injection-molded part for removal from the tool.

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