HP and AM Solutions Develop the HP Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D Automatic Unpacking Station

 As powder bed fusion additive manufacturing becomes more common, companies are developing better solutions to optimize this process. The HP Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D Automatic Unpacking Station aims to optimize post-processing of parts and reduce material costs. 

 

HP Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D Automatic Unpacking Station. Image courtesy of AM Solutions.

 

This unpacking system can enable industries to save more of the waste material from powder bed fusion processes to be used for more 3D prints.

 

Joint Experience

HP will leverage their background in software development to create this device. HP has partnered with Rösler companies, AM solutions, to develop the unpacking station for industrial use. Especially in met AM parts, manual post-processing is required to meet specs.

The Jet Fusion unpacking station can help render this process to be an automatic operation in its development between these two partners. This will help increase the production rate of additive manufactured parts. 

Though 3D printing is a sound manufacturing process, the rate at which components are produced does not match the rate at which injection molded parts are made. HP and AM Solutions plan to further accelerate the rate at which additive manufactured parts can be reproduced. 

 

AM and HP Utilize Post-Processing Technology

AM Solutions will use their background in post-processing AM parts to help HP and other companies yield better quality parts. AM Solutions’ post-processing expertise includes clearing sintering powder from even the most complex geometries from AM components. 

 

HP and AM Solutions HP Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D Automatic Unpacking Station. Image courtesy of HP.

 

“New solutions for the scalable, efficient post processing and automation of the entire workflow are the precondition for fully exploiting the advantages of Additive Manufacturing and making it suitable for industrial volume production,” mentioned Ramon Pastor, the Global Head of HP Additive Manufacturing. Pastor also said states, “With Rösler/AM Solutions we have found a partner who is intimately familiar with the standards of a broad range of industries and possesses the required knowhow in the field of surface treatment and equipment manufacturing.”

 

Advanced Post-Processing Solutions

Typical post-processing of laser metal sintered parts includes an operator that can only post-process a certain number of parts. Automating this process can improve the quality of parts, reduce time, resources, and help deliver a higher volume of parts produced for each batch. 

AM Solutions claims that this post-processing solution will process small and delicate parts. This unpacking station uses a vacuum to reclaim powder that is still present on the parts. This powder is collected in a container and loaded back into the HP Jet Fusion AM machine for the next batch of prints. This post-processing technique takes place immediately after the print job is completed. 

After the parts undergo post-processing through the unpacking station, they are dispensed into a container that can be collected and distributed to their purpose. The loading and unloading of the device are manually done with operators who will replace each bin. 

The unpacking station can tailor its settings for different print styles using reading an RFID reader. This will collect the print job data to help mitigate any changes on the part from post-processing and maintain quality and specifications.  

HP and AM Solutions hope this partnership will deliver more fruitful and innovative solutions for automated packing solutions.