FRANKFURT, Germany, Nov 15, 2017 – Materialise is the first company to offer software that automatically generates support structures for metal AM parts. This patented innovation will allow users to drive down costs for metal 3D printing, as well as save significant amounts of time. Visitors of formnext will have the opportunity to see parts created with Materialise e-Stage for Metal at booth 3.0 – C48.
Titanium 3D printed with e-stage support
For more than ten years, Materialise has provided successful automated support generation software, called e-Stage for Stereolithography and DLP technology. As Metal 3D Printing gains momentum, Materialise is now expanding this software for metal parts. With the introduction of the new e-Stage for Metal, the automated support generation becomes available for titanium, aluminum and stainless steel parts.
The Materialise e-Stage for Metal delivers significant time savings compared to manual support generation, including support design (up to 90%), support removal (up to 50%) and part finishing (up to 20%). In addition, nearly all of the expensive metal powder trapped in the support structures can now be recovered. The automated process also limits the risk of human error and related build crashes.
Titanium part 3D printed with e-Stage support structure
“The time savings delivered by the automated generation of metal supports enables engineers to focus on other tasks. The elimination of manual work makes the process much more reliable and efficient, which allows us to meet increased customer demands,” explains Ingo Uckelmann, technical manager of metal 3D printing, at Materialise Bremen.
“Using e-Stage supports for Metal AM brings good improvements compared to traditional supporting methods. We, at AIRBUS APWORKS GmbH, are convinced about the e-Stage potential to reduce powder consumption, reduce post-processing time, increase build job speed while still guaranteeing a high build stability. This is an important step towards reduced printing costs,” states AIRBUS APWORKS, beta tester of Materialise e-Stage for Metal.
Stainless Steel part 3D printed with e-Stage support structure
“As the metal AM industry grows, so does the need to integrate automated processes. Materialise e-Stage for Metal provides significant cost and time savings for companies looking to scale up their metal production. We continuously work with our customers to explore new ways to make their Metal 3D printing production more efficient,” adds Stefaan Motte, VP Software at Materialise.
At formnext, visitors of Materialise’s booth in hall 3.0, C48 can have a closer look at the amazingly thin connections and open grid structure and gain deeper insights into how the software can optimize their business. Demo sessions and live presentations about e-Stage for Metal will be available at the same booth during the four days of the fair.
Nearly all of the expensive metal powder trapped in the support structures can now be recovered.
For more information on Materialise e-Stage, please visit: http://www.materialise.com/en/software/e-Stage.
About Materialise
Materialise incorporates 27 years of 3D printing experience into a range of software solutions and 3D printing services, which together form the backbone of the 3D printing industry. Materialise’s open and flexible solutions enable players in a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, automotive, aerospace, art and design, and consumer goods, to build innovative 3D printing applications that aim to make the world a better and healthier place. Headquartered in Belgium, with branches worldwide, Materialise combines the largest group of software developers in the industry with one of the largest 3D printing facilities in the world.
For more information, visit www.materialise.com.