3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) announced that MolyWorks, a California-based, developer of the circular economy for metal, has integrated the DMP Flex 350 into its manufacturing workflow. As a result, MolyWorks has recognized significant efficiency improvements in its production process, and opportunities to enhance the breadth of capabilities by delivering additively manufactured end-use parts to its customers. With these advantages, MolyWorks has grown its customer base, including the work the company is conducting alongside the United States Air Force to evaluate 3D-printed flight-critical parts.
Metal additive manufacturing (AM) has become a trusted technology to create airworthy parts with reduced weight and improved performance. With the ability to facilitate rapid design and production of consolidated components, AM helps accelerate the certification process and optimizes the entire supply chain. As the producer of metal powder that is used to produce high-quality metal parts, MolyWorks needed an AM solution that seamlessly integrated with their workflow. They chose 3D Systems’ DMP Flex 350 due to its unique vacuum chamber architecture which is critical when manufacturing parts from titanium — a material that has become a standard alloy for aerospace applications. The vacuum chamber maintains a low oxygen environment (<25 ppm) which reduces argon gas consumption and produces an excellent surface finish with fine feature detail. MolyWorks is also taking advantage of the DMP Flex 350’s optional removable print module (RPM). Being able to swap out the RPM allows their team to perform a quick cleanout and get the machine back up and running with another material in a short amount of time.
Additionally, the DMP Flex 350 includes Oqton’s 3DXpert software which supports every step of the additive manufacturing workflow from design to post-processing, to quickly and efficiently transition from a 3D model to successfully printed parts. This single software solution for modeling, simulation, and manufacturing eliminates the need to rely on multiple software packages. Efficiencies driven by 3DXpert can enable up to 75% faster file-processing time, and increase productivity by up to 40%.
“The high-value applications we are addressing with additive manufacturing require us to have a metal 3D printing solution that can maintain a very low internal oxygen level,” said Devin Morrow, director of AM, MolyWorks. “The DMP Flex 350, with its unique vacuum chamber, performs in a different class than competitive machines. The vacuum architecture reduces O2 levels to less than 25 ppm and delivers better chemistry control in finished parts and high levels of powder reuse. Being able to seamlessly transition from design and optimization in 3DXpert to production with the DMP Flex 350 has really helped us streamline our process.”
Chris Eonta, founder, MolyWorks added, “For rapid design or product iteration, 3D Systems’ DMP Flex 350 is unmatched. Having this industry-leading solution in our facility is expanding our vision of what can be 3D printed in our processes. We’re very impressed by the quality of the landing gear components we’re producing with this printer that will be tested for airworthiness, and are looking forward to the additional applications we will address.”
“3D Systems’ Direct Metal Printing solutions continue to deliver value in highly-regulated markets such as aerospace,” said Dr. Michael Shepard, vice president, aerospace & defense segment, 3D Systems. “The combination of our industry-leading technology, Oqton’s software, and our deep applications expertise enables us to help innovative companies like MolyWorks continue to push the boundaries. I look forward to seeing how the MolyWorks team continues to realize the benefits of the DMP Flex 350, and the future opportunities for growth we can explore.”
About 3D Systems
More than 35 years ago, 3D Systems brought the innovation of 3D printing to the manufacturing industry. Today, as the leading additive manufacturing solutions partner, we bring innovation, performance, and reliability to every interaction – empowering our customers to create products and business models never before possible. Thanks to our unique offering of hardware, software, materials, and services, each application-specific solution is powered by the expertise of our application engineers who collaborate with customers to transform how they deliver their products and services. 3D Systems’ solutions address a variety of advanced applications in healthcare and industrial markets such as medical and dental, aerospace & defense, automotive, and durable goods.
More information on the company is available at www.3dsystems.com.
