Cincinnati Incorporated offers its first Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) system, taking 3D printing to a large, industrial scale. The BAAM machine demonstrated its capabilities at IMTS 2014 in Chicago. Cincinnati Incorporated, in conjunction with the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Local Motors, printed and assembled the world's first 3D-printed car during the tradeshow. The large-scale additive machine uses the chassis, drives and control of Cincinnati's laser cutting system as the base, and extrudes hot thermoplastic to build parts, layer by layer. The machine, developed as part of a cooperative research and development agreement between Cincinnati Incorporated and ORNL, introduces significant new manufacturing capabilities to a wide range of industries including automotive, aerospace, appliance and robotics, according to the company.
Cincinnati Incorporated's first BAAM sale was to SABIC Innovative Plastics, the company that provided the carbon fiber ABS plastic for the IMTS car. The BAAM extruder uses a wide variety of thermoplastics and fiber reinforced thermoplastics. SABIC plans to test a number of materials that will meet the needs of a variety of commercial applications, including furniture and tooling. "SABIC has already tested ABS, PPS, PEKK and Ultem, and we are finding that carbon fiber and glass fiber reinforcing improve both the strength and thermal stability of the parts," said Andy Jamison, CEO of Cincinnati Incorporated.
"With a current work envelope of 2 x 4 x .87 m (6.6 x 13.1 x 2.9 ft) and extrusion rate of about 38 lbs./hr, the machine prints polymer components up to 10 times larger than currently producible, at speeds 200 to 500 times faster than existing additive machines," said a company spokesperson. And, plans are to go even bigger and faster. "We are already working with ORNL to increase the work envelope to 2.4 x 6 m (8 x 20 ft) and with SABIC to increase the extrusion rate to 100 lbs./hr," said Jamison. "Increasing the Z-axis travel (the working height for the part being built) is also a priority."
The BAAM machine is linear motor driven, allowing it to maintain a level bed required for proper 3D printing.
For more information contact:
Cincinnati Incorporated
7420 Kilby Road
Harrison, OH 45030-8915
513-367-7100
info@e-ci.com
www.e-ci.com