Formnext 2022: pro-beam accelerates production via parallel processes

The pro-beam Group presented its new additive manufacturing system PB EBM 30S one year ago. On the occasion of this year´s “Formnext 2022” in Frankfurt, the company will now be disclosing further details regarding the machine’s main features. The system saves customers an enormous amount of time and offers high process quality and stability. pro-beam will be represented at Formnext in Frankfurt am Main in hall 12.0 at booth E59 from November 15th-18th, 2022. On-site visitors will have the chance to convince themselves of the system and process properties.

“With the PB EBM 30S, we have developed a highly innovative and extremely efficient system for our customers. We knew from the very early development stages on, that these innovations would enhance the additive manufacturing market and significantly advance serial production,” explained Dr. Thorsten Löwer, Managing Director of the pro-beam Group. “At Formnext 2022, we will be providing our visitors with further insights. We are looking forward to it!”

BuildUnits: Time-savings via parallel processes

The PB EBM 30S is characterized by its high productivity for industrial serial manufacturing. This is achieved by carrying out production steps in parallel, such as setup, evacuation, building process and cooling. Therefore, the company developed so-called BuildUnits. Next to the metal powder, they contain an available build space of up to 300 x 300 x 400 mm. They pass through the different process areas of the PB EBM 30S as separate modules. As a consequence, up to three BuildUnits can be used in the system simultaneously. The optimized usage of the build chamber in combination with the minimal auxiliary process times increase the productivity of the system by 100 percent compared to other systems that do not feature any BuildUnit modules.

BuildUnits are currently available in two different sizes: 160 x 160 x 400 mm and 300 x 300 x 400 mm. Thus, the system can be used more flexible, and processes can be designed more efficiently. The customer can use the smaller space, for example, for material qualification and the larger one for production. The suitable build space size can be selected, and powder use can be reduced depending on the size and number of components to be produced.

The powder required for a process is fed into the build chamber with the BuildUnit and then transported out of the system after processing along with the remaining powder. Since the metal powder is linked to the BuildUnit and not to the system, the powder types may vary from build job to build job along with the build space. Furthermore, the BuildUnit enables better spatial and personnel separation for pre- and post-processes, such as unit filling and depowdering. This enables PB EBM 30S to be integrated into existing machine parks.

RainTec: Spot strategy for homogeneous component properties

Another innovation from pro-beam is the spot strategy RainTec. The strategy uses controlled heat input that is adjusted to requirements. Individual spots are melted in a stochastically distributed manner, so that the entire/desired surface is only created in the late phase of the melting process. This prevents warping while achieving homogeneous material properties. In addition, RainTec leads to a significantly improved surface quality of components. Users benefit from a wide range of applications for their manufacturing parameters – regardless of the component size.

Advantages of electron beam technology

The system operates under vacuum in an inert atmosphere. This minimizes component contamination with oxygen, which, for example, leads to cleaner workpieces and therefore to improved product properties. Due to the electron beam technology developed by pro-beam with an acceleration voltage of up to 150 kilovolts, the electrostatic charge of the powder bed is lower, which leads to higher process stability. At the same time, the powder is heated isochorically through the electron beam process. This also has a positive effect on the quality of both the process and the component.

In its Additive Manufacturing Report 2022, AMPOWER forecasts that the annual growth of the international metal AM market will be 25.5% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate). It expects that the market, reaching EUR 2.5 billion in 2021, will grow to EUR 7.8 billion by 2026. pro-beam is preparing its customers to harness the enormous potential of this market.

Find out more about pro-beam at pro-beam.com.