Style and substance will be the defining qualities of AMT’s stand at Formnext 2019 (Hall 12.1, Booth E61). The company will present and exhibit a modular, fully customisable and reusable 84 m2 stand construction, featuring more than 6,000 3D-printed and post-processed parts that connect 1,100 m of lightweight aluminium tubing to create the overall aesthetic of the 4 m high booth. The stand has been designed and constructed by Steel Roots Design, in collaboration with AMT.
Tom Warren, director at Steel Roots Design, says: “Using 3D printing technology and AMT’s post processing to make something on this scale is unchartered territory for the industry. We’re delighted with the results and proud that the modular, completely reusable frame material will mean something versatile, lasting and reusable, which moves away from the wasteful tradition of exhibition stand builds.”
Joseph Crabtree, AMT’s CEO, adds: “The whole point of exhibiting at a show like Formnext is to demonstrate your technologies and capabilities. Our unique stand will show how functional and sustainable 3D printed parts — even at higher volumes — can be utilised when using our automated post-processing technologies.”
The 6,061 3D-printed components of AMT’s stand have been printed by Belgian service provider Materialise, using the EOS SLS process, in Nylon PA 2200 material. The parts were then subsequently post-processed using AMT’s PostPro3D platform. One function of PostPro3D is surface modification of the parts, without altering the geometry out of tolerance. This capability allows for the creation of a non-porous surface that prevents water and dirt ingress, which is an essential requirement for this application. Moreover, the reconfigurable nature of the stand design means that the parts can be reused to create customised stands for future events.
AMT’s entire stand structure for Formnext weighs in at only 120 Kg, making it easy and economical to ship the components from event to event, while minimising the carbon footprint of doing so.
Crabtree says: “This level of sustainability commitment is a fundamental principle for AMT at every level of the business. Every decision we make takes sustainability into consideration.”
The 3D-printed parts of the stand are only part of the overall solution. These connecting components have complex geometries, with internal threads and moving features that would not have been economically viable using any other process. Nor could the parts have been produced quickly enough.
Once constructed in Frankfurt, the booth will house a number of AMT innovations that will be introduced at Formnext for the first time, including the fully automated Digital Manufacturing System (DMS). Developed by AMT for AM applications, DMS features robotic systems that are digitally connected with the AM system and all post-processing steps, including de-powdering, PostPro3D and inspection.
As well as being available on the stand during show hours, AMT’s team will be contributing to other elements of the Formnext programme across the four-day show. For instance, a ‘meet the expert’ session is scheduled for 19 November (15:45 to 16.00) on the show floor stage in Hall 12.
