Ponticon pE3D printer news: mass production with 3D printing?

Munich 3D printing has already established itself many times in the construction of prototypes – but additive manufacturing is often still too slow for industrial mass production.

The Ponticon company now wants to help achieve a breakthrough in a new technology with which objects can be coated and also printed particularly quickly and precisely – and thus achieve sales in the three-digit million range in the long term. “We want to become one of the major global players in the industry,” says co-owner Oliver Schorn.

3D printing has long been considered a great beacon of hope in the industry. Also because it enables completely new shapes, it is already used in the aviation industry for the manufacture of parts.

According to a study by Learnbonds, the 3D printing market could grow from a good 16 to 40.8 billion dollars by 2024. German companies such as Eos, Concept Laser and Trumpf play a leading role in the industry.

3D printing enables new welding technology for demanding components

Ponticon now wants to join this group. The company is currently launching its first model under the name pE3D. In the next year, three to four machines are to be sold, depending on the specification, at a unit price of an estimated one to two million euros. “The focus here is initially on research institutions, also to enable industrial end customers with the know-how available there and to introduce them to the technology as quickly as possible,” says Managing Director Tobias Stittgen.

Ponticon designed the machine for the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT). This is where the Extreme High-Speed ​​Laser Deposition Welding (EHLA) invented at the ILT is further developed, which can initially be used to coat metal parts.

In contrast to classic laser deposition welding, the metallic powder material with the EHLA is melted by the laser before it hits the component to be coated. This means that it reaches the component, which rotates very quickly on its own axis, in its liquid state. “EHLA is suitable for everything that is rotationally symmetrical and can be processed on fast rotary kinematics,” says Jonathan Schaible from the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT).

This process is already used today to protect highly stressed parts – for example in the aerospace or automotive sectors – from corrosion and wear.

Until a few years ago, hard chrome plating was mainly used here. However, since September 2017 this has only been approved by the EU under strict conditions. The electrochemical deposition of toxic chromium is harmful to the environment.

Due to the required rotational symmetry, the EHLA has so far only been able to coat certain components in two dimensions, such as hydraulic cylinders, rollers or brake disks, for example.

Therefore, at the beginning of 2018, Fraunhofer ILT started looking for a partner to further develop the process for further, more complex shapes and 3D printing. According to the company, precisely these requirements are now being met with the pE3D system developed by Ponticon. The further developed process is known as 3D-EHLA: the components no longer have to be rotationally symmetrical, but can be shaped in almost any shape thanks to highly dynamic 5-axis kinematics.

“With coating, manufacturing times are achieved as with thermal spraying. However, the applied alloy lasts much better because we bond the materials together with one another, ”explains Stittgen.

Advantages for 3D printing due to delivery bottlenecks

The machine is equipped with three linear motors that are connected to the movement unit via carbon fiber reinforced struts. In the current version, components with a diameter of up to 70 centimeters and a height of 80 centimeters can be coated and additively manufactured with up to five times the acceleration due to gravity and speeds of up to 200 meters per minute. With conventional laser deposition welding, just 0.5 to two meters per minute are common.

Another advantage from the designers’ point of view: With 3D-EHLA, completely new materials can be developed and then used. For example, coating with metallic glasses is possible, says Stittgen. “This is extremely interesting for the hydrogen economy, medical technology and space travel, for example.”

3D-EHLA is in demand where the highest demands are placed on materials and components: for example in the field of gas and wind turbines, tool making and high-performance electronics. Entrepreneur Schorn: “We see huge potential here, which we can develop for our customers with the machine and the know-how of Ponticon.”

The machine can not only coat objects, they can also be completely rebuilt. So Ponticon also serves the conventional market for D printing. “We are simply much faster, very often even by a factor of 10,” says Managing Director Stittgen.

With the classic processes, you either need a very long time to print or you have to compromise on precision. “We can do both.” This brings us to dimensions in which 3D printing can often be used productively in series production.

The timing is favorable for Ponticon. During the corona pandemic, 3D printing was able to show its strengths. When supply chains were broken, many companies were happy to print out a much-needed replacement part. “The contribution made by additive manufacturing during the pandemic will continue to have an effect beyond these times,” says EOS boss Marie Langer with conviction.

In the industry, the willingness to invest has also risen sharply again after a corona sag. In September, according to the industry association VDMA, incoming orders increased by as much as 65 percent compared to the previous year. In the first nine months, the plus was at least 36 percent.

But the demand can hardly be met due to the shortage of materials and components. The recovery in demand is still intact and can only be attributed to a small part to hamster purchases, said VDMA expert Olaf Wortmann. “But it will take longer than usual for it to turn into sales.”

But at Ponticon, the first million sales are to be achieved as early as next year. “In seven to eight years, we want to be in the mid three-digit million range,” says Schorn confidently.

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