At Formnext, Walther Trowal presents a mass finishing machine designed specifically for post-processing of 3D printed components.
Walther Trowal will present the tub vibrator TRT 83/87 for surface finishing of 3D printed components at Formnetx, which will be held November 16-19, 2021 in Frankfurt. This system was developed specifically for small production batches.
AM Post Process mass finishing machines were developed explicitly for post-processing of 3D printed components and they are adapted to the surface roughness conditions created by the additive manufacturing process including stair casting, support structure remnants and sintered-on powder residues.
Unlike electrochemical treatment systems, AM Post Process creates smooth, glossy finishes on the surface of components with complex, often bionic, shapes in just one or two process steps.
Generally, the workpieces are placed into the processing bowl filled with suitable grinding or polishing media. The vibratory energy induced into the bowl causes an intensive rubbing motion and creates a considerable pressure between the media and work pieces. In relatively short cycle times, very smooth and homogeneous surface finishes are obtained.
“Initially, we developed this compact, easy-to-operate machine for cleaning metallic work pieces and are manufacturing it today in relatively large volumes. This allows us offering the machine at a very competitive price. For larger work piece batches that cannot be processed by freely tumbling in the processing media, we offer the rotary vibrator AM 2.”, said Christoph Cruse, sales director at Walther Trowal, who considers the TRT 83/87 as an entry-level machine for companies undertaking first steps in the field of additive manufacturing.
In the rotary vibrator AM 2 the workpieces are mounted on the bottom of the processing tank. This creates a particularly intensive motion between media and work pieces. Another important advantage of this processing mode is that firmly mounted parts cannot be scratched or nicked by touching each other during the finishing process.
The vibrators of the AM series are equipped with three vibrator motors which create an overlapping movement of the media/work piece mix. This results in a highly homogeneous and gentle grinding/polishing effect of the media on the work pieces. The delicate and subtle contours of the workpiece do not break or deform, but remain intact. Finally, the system is suitable for finishing difficult-to-reach internal passages and undercuts typical for 3D printed components.