Additive manufacturing

Since 2019, the AF Lab has been equipped with an HP Multi Jet Fusion 4200 3D printer. With the acquisition of this system, the additive manufacturing laboratory now has an industrial 3D printer that sets new standards in terms of component quality and printing speed. The Multi Jet Fusion 4200 is operated at Fachhochschule Dortmund using nylon powder (PA12). A system for automated glass bead blasting is available for post-processing the components.

The system pool also includes two machines that process nylon powder (PA12) on the basis of selective laser sintering (SLS). They are particularly suitable for the production of high-precision and resilient components and can even be used to manufacture moving assemblies. The main difference between the two devices is the laser used. One device has a compact diode laser, while the second machine is equipped with a particularly powerful CO2 laser. Both were developed by start-up companies from Switzerland and Italy.

The laboratory also has several machines that work according to the FLM principle (fused layer modeling). These mainly use the thermoplastics ABS, PLA, PETG or TPU. Flexible materials can be used, which in turn open up completely new fields of application. Machines with two print heads allow - if necessary - printing with washable support material.

The equipment is complemented by an HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S2 and an Artec Eva 3D scanner as well as two Microsoft Kinect cameras. The HP 3D scanner is ideal for small objects ranging from the size of a thimble to the size of a shoebox. The hand-held Artec Eva 3D scanner offers the possibility of scanning objects with dimensions of several meters. These scanners open up the field of reverse engineering and the digital capture of complex installation spaces. The processing of the scan data is computer-aided with the help of various software tools. The Geomagic Design X software is available for reverse engineering.

The laboratory for additive manufacturing offers students the opportunity to get to know the technology in practice. The available equipment can be used to carry out student research projects and final theses.

Multi Jet Fusion Printer

• 1x HP Multi Jet Fusion 4200 3D Printer
• 1x HP Multi Jet Fusion 4200 Processing Station
• 2x HP Multi Jet Fusion 4200 Build Unit

SLS Printer

• 1x Sintratec Kit
• 1x SHAREBOT SnowWhite

AKF Printer

• 1x Arburg Freeformer 200-3X

Continuous Carbon Fiber Printer

• 1x Markforged Mark Two
• 1x Markforged Mark X7 (in cooperation with FB Architecture)

FLM Printer

• 2x Prusa I3 MK3S
• 1x FELIX Pro 1
• 3x FELIX 3.1
• 10x Creality3D Ender-3 pro

Inkjet Printer

• 1x Keyence Agilista-3200W (in cooperation with FB Architecture)

3D scanner

• 1x Artec Eva
• 1x HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S2
• 1x Microsoft Kinect v1
• 1x Microsoft Kinect v2

Other equipment

• Heating oven
• Blasting cabin

Workshops

In workshops, students regularly have the opportunity to learn more about additive manufacturing and try it out for themselves. They learn interesting facts about basic theory and the latest developments in the field of additive manufacturing. They then have the opportunity to design, prepare and manufacture their own components.