This year at AMUG (March 19-23, Chicago), the Dutch based ceramics stereolithography 3D printer manufacturer Admatec is be showing the newest addition to its ADMAFLEX series: the ADMETALFLEX metal 3D printer.

This is a new machine for 3D printing high quality, high resolution metal parts, is challenging traditional shaping technologies through an innovative process which combines metal powders and photoactive materials. Admatec will have the system on display at booth 48 in Salon D for AMUG’s visitors to be the first people to see this revolutionary new machine.

The systems is expected to function similarly to Admatec’s ceramics systems, where a paste containing the metal powder and a photopolymer is polymerized to build the “green” component which is subsequently sintered in a furnace. this would enable dense parts and potentially higher resolutions – as well as lower costs – than other technologies.

New ceramic materials; cores for investment casting processes

Besides being part of the next generation in 3D metal printing, Admatec is also continuously developing its ceramic printing possibilities with the ADMAFLEX 130, also on display at AMUG. Ceramics offers key properties for investment casting, as it can resist high temperatures with the necessary porosity, while retaining the necessary strength. One typical application of high performance ceramics is in 3D printing cores for rotor and vane blades for the jet engine and gas turbine industries. This is just one of the possible applications which are a direct  resultof the R&D activities conducted at ADMATEC.