Digital Metal, a Swedish developer of binder jetting metal AM, has introduced a new software upgrade that reportedly triples the printing speed of its DM P2500 3D printer. The increased printing rate can enable users to scale up production volumes without compromising the quality of printed parts.

The answer to the question of rapid additive manufacturing lies in part in hardware but, as Digital Metal has demonstrated, much of the work required to speed up the additive process is on the software side. With newly updated software, Digital Metal’s DM P2500 system, which was released in 2017, can achieve three times faster printing speeds. The company says the upgraded software is standard on all new units and existing customers can obtain upgrade kits for their DM P2500 machines.

The DM P2500 is based on Digital Metal’s proprietary metal binder jetting technology and offers a robust solution AM for manufacturers. The company emphasizes that all moving parts in the system have accuracy down to single microns, resulting in high repeatability and consistency. The system is also stabilized by a custom diabase stone measuring 160 mm in thickness, which stop vibrations from influencing the build process.

“We constantly work to improve the performance of our printers so that our customers can work as cost-effectively as possible,” said Alexander Sakratidis, Sales & Marketing Manager at Digital Metal. “This important upgrade makes it possible to reach even greater production volumes without sacrificing component quality. We plan to continue introducing similar significant upgrades twice a year.”

With faster printing rates, Digital Metal’s DM P2500 will allow its users to scale production volumes and achieve serial production of small but complex metal parts. The company’s precision metal AM process is currently used across several industries, including the automotive, luxury goods and mechanical sectors. Digital Metal is a subsidiary of the Sweden-based Höganäs Group, the world’s largest producer of metal powders