The French company Prodways has used the Rapid2019 show to show off a new ProMaker P1000 X 3D SLS printer, which should be available by Q3 of this year.
The P1000 series are industrial Selective Laser Sintering printers, which use infrared lasers to sinter powdered materials. The parts are built up within the power so that there’s no need for additional support material.
This new printer has a larger build volume than the existing P1000 – up from 27 to 32 litres – and almost a double production speed at two litres per hour. Prodways will continue to sell the older printer, which will now become the entry-level model for this series.
It has a new 24 points grid thermal field control system, combined with a ten-zone IR heating system, which according to Prodways should deliver more consistent mechanical properties across the part bed and improve the repeatability.
It gains a new realtime slicer together with a fine laser beam, and a high performance scanning system, which should lead to smoother surfaces and better detailing on parts. There’s an integrated camera for remote process control.
The new X model will be able to run the seven materials that are currently available for the P1000. This includes the rubber-like TPU 70-A, the new Polypropylene PP 1200, PA12, three different grades of PA11 and the high-performance Stark 3200.
Prodways also announced PP 1200 SLS powder, which is 25 percent cheaper than PA12, making it a reasonable alternative to PA12 for some applications. It’s said to be easy to process with a 136°C melting point and is 10 percent lighter than PA12. It’s suitable for applications that require ductility, such as snap-fits or living hinges, and can be used for either small or big parts. It has high chemical resistance, low friction coefficient. It has a white/ translucent appearance with an average particle size of 70 microns, tensile strength of 28 MPa and 25 percent elongation breaking point. It is compatible with all of Prodways’ laser sintering printers, and is said to be cheap and to have a low refresh rate.
Prodways is also showing its latest resin material, PlastCure Denture, suitable for producing both base and teeth, which is designed to be used with the ProMaker LD10 and LD20 dental 3D printers. This is aimed at the US market. These printers can produce 30 full denture bases in less than five hours, bringing the possibility of high volume production to more dental labs.
You can find further details from www.prodways.com.
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