Latest in 3D/AM

Post-processing report from Wohlers Associates

Wohlers Associates Inc. released “Post-Processing of AM and 3D-Printed Parts,” to detail the steps in post-processing parts produced by additive manufacturing (AM) including support material removal, surface finishing, coloring and coating, and heat treatment.

Post-processing is one of three major phases of producing 3D-printed parts. According to research conducted for Wohlers Report 2021, nearly 27% of the cost comes from post-processing. The study involved input from 124 service providers in 27 countries.

AM organizations have post-processing knowledge and experience, yet little systematic documentation is available, leading to companies spending time and money unnecessarily to complete jobs. The methods and techniques described in this report can reduce trial-and-error that so many organizations use.

DMC to test flexible Renishaw AM machine

The Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC) is one of the first businesses to receive Renishaw’s RenAM 500 Flex machine. Through its long-term collaboration with Renishaw, the DMC has been selected as a key beta site for industry testing. Final phases of the development program will verify the RenAM 500 Flex’s capabilities and versatility in a busy commercial production environment.

The RenAM 500 Flex allows users to switch between material types without compromising part quality, improving pre-production testing and material selection, while allowing users to establish parameters that can be easily transferred to more automated machines, such as the RenAM 500, for faster serial production.

The RenAM 500 Flex combines the gas flow capabilities and build chamber of the RenAM 500 with a simplified, non-recirculating powder system enabling a complete material change within one shift – around 8 hours.

Available in both single and quad-laser configurations, the Flex includes the same process monitoring capabilities as the regular RenAM 500, allowing for transferable melt pool analysis.