Schunk adds X1 25Pro BJT machine from ExOne
The ExOne Company, North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, USA, has announced the sale of a X1 25Pro large metal Binder Jetting (BJT) machine to the Schunk Group, headquartered in Heuchelheim, Germany.
The X1 25Pro is anticipated to be installed and used in the Schunk Sinter Metals location in Thale, Germany. It will provide serial production of sintered metal parts for automotive, aerospace, medical, and other sectors throughout Europe, starting with 316L stainless steel with plans to expand to other materials.
“We believe 3D printing is the technology of the future, and we will use our Binder Jetting system to develop technologies and parts that go beyond what we can provide with traditional sintered metal components,” stated Tobias Franz Heusel, Global Account Manager at Schunk.
Schunk plans to integrate the metal BJT technology into its industrial ecosystem that already includes other Additive Manufacturing technologies producing parts with different materials such as copper, stainless steel and low alloyed steel. The ecosystem also utilises traditional manufacturing processes such as axial pressing and Metal Injection Moulding.
“We believe Binder Jetting offers four primary advantages: in addition to speed and freedom of design, the ability to produce large volumes with 3D printing and a large selection of materials is fairly unique among 3D printing processes,” Heusel added.
Schunk was said to have elected ExOne as its BJT partner largely because of the company’s history as a market leader in the technology. Over its history, ExOne has launched more than ten commercial metal BJT systems.
“We are proud to partner with Schunk to provide ExOne binder jet 3D printing services in the European market,” added Eric Bader, Managing Director, ExOne, EMEA. “Schunk’s services will complement our own ExOne Adoption Center (EAC) in Gersthofen, where we will provide benchmarks to customers interested in purchasing machines.”
