Sawing machine company joins NextGenAM project

The project initiators in 2017 were aerospace supplier Premium Aerotec, automotive manufacturer Daimler and EOS, a provider of industrial 3D printing systems.

The focus is on introducing a high degree of automation upstream and downstream of the actual construction process, which accounts for only about 30% of manufacturing cost. The aim of the project is the development of a complete system for the production of aluminium components for the automotive and aerospace industries.

The innovative KASTOwin amc sawing technology impressed the project partners with its ability to perform component separation reliably and efficiently. The automatic machine is designed specifically for separating additively manufactured components from their build platform by inverting them and sawing horizontally so that they fall into a container.

Cutting range of the saw is 400mm x 400mm and the electromechanical servo motor blade feed is infinitely adjustable. A frequency-controlled spur-gear drive enables blade speed to be selected between 12 and 150m/min. The heavy, torsion-resistant, welded construction with its optimised ribbing ensures smooth running and reduced vibration. The machine is fully enclosed, protecting the ambient air from tiny particles produced by cutting additively-manufactured components. Optionally, an extraction system can be connected.

A KASTOwin amc is being used in the Technology Centre in Varel (TZV), Germany, where the first NextGenAM automated pilot plant for industrial 3D printing, post-processing and quality assurance was recently commissioned. The centre, inaugurated in 2011, brings together researchers and users to develop techniques for processing metallic materials.

www.kasto.com