Another plastics machinery maker has decided to manufacture 3-D printing machines.
Arburg GmbH & Co. KG, Lossburg, Germany, was the first, releasing its Freeformer at the 2013 K Show and following up with its introduction to the North American market at NPE.
Sandretto SpA, Pont Canavese, Italy, now has put itself in the market. It made a splash at Plast 2015 in Milan last month with a line of industrial 3-D printers designed to complement injection molding production.
"These printers have been specifically developed for heavy-duty industrial products," said Robert Moretti, Sandretto's COO for additive manufacturing. "We developed them in response to demand from our existing injection molding machine customers. This is also the group whom we are initially targeting with this new product line."
Sandretto has set up a laboratory in Lazio, Italy, where the development work will take place. This is known as the Sandretto Skunk Works Lab. Sandretto has said that these 3-D printers will be delta-style. According to PrintSpace, a seller of 3-D printing equipment in Rexburg, Idaho, a delta-style printer has three runners on long, vertical rails and each of these has an arm connected to the print nozzle. The arms move up and down independently of the print nozzle to keep it precisely located throughout the print. The advantages include the ability to make taller parts because of the height of the printer and the tall arms.
For Sandretto, its plan is to take its own innovations in error handling, firmware and control functions and develop the delta machines for mass production.
Moretti said that at times a product series is too small to justify the expense of making a mold. Also, sometimes customers are in a hurry and can't wait for a mold to be produced and that is where 3-D printing carries a lot of value.
These 3-D printers use 1.73mm filament. Resins that have been tested include PET, PETG, ABS, TPU, polylactic acid and HIPS. The machines will be sold in groups to major customers.
Angie DeRosa, managing editor
Contact:
Sandretto SpA, 39-0124-376312, www.sandretto.it
