Exigo Coobx's new 3-D printer comes in two separate versions, with build heights of 4.3 inches for medical use and 13.8 inches for industrial applications. Designed for prototyping and production, as well as mass customization, it uses ultraviolet light to cure resins, including highly viscous and infilled materials. Possible products include parts that cannot be machined in conventional processes, such as lattice structural elements, as well as dental aligners, eyeglass frames, and hearing-aid and tachometer housings. The printers can be purchased individually or in LIFTcells — two-, eight- or 12-printer installments that include automation for continuous production. The bigger LIFTcells, LIFTcell 8 and LIFTcell 12, each offer a fully automated workflow, including a high-output rotary-transfer post-processing unit that can clean, cure, dry, temper and collect resin. They can handle as many as six different materials, with all resins stored and processed in a central unit. A central print server organizes all print jobs, while TX2 robots from Stäubli Corp., Duncan, S.C., provide automation.
What's new? The printer's patent-pending process known as LIFT — light-initiated fabrication technology. Delivery of the automated system will begin in the fourth quarter.
Benefits Production-scale additive manufacturing capabilities. The printers automatically make calculations involving curing, layer height and speed, based on the materials that are used. The new LIFTcell 8 and LIFTcell 12 systems are completely configurable according to user needs; each boasts a high-speed rotary-transfer system that can remove objects from the build platform in 2.5 minutes, allowing the printers to prepare for the next job.
Coobx AG, Balzers, Liechtenstein, 423-388-01-11, www.coobx.com
