Laser-sintered plastic products, fast

The new FORMIGA P 100 offers cost-effective and flexible entry into the world of laser-sintering, enabling plastic products to be produced directly from CAD data in less than 24 hours. A technical innovation is the ability to build vertical walls with high surface quality. The extremely fine focus diameter of the laser enables wall thicknesses down to 0.4 mm to be created for manufacturing small, filigree components such as connectors, for example. The dispensing and recoating system has also been redesigned to increase product quality and reduce powder consumption. Twenty-three parts of the FORMIGA P 100 itself have been laser-sintered, from the filling hopper for the plastic powder to the switch cover, demonstrating the practicality of the manufacturing process. The machine has a compact footprint and a height of just 195 cm, so may be situated in practically any production environment. The build envelope of 200 mm x 250 mm x 330 mm is ideal for economic manufacture of small batches and individual products with complex geometries, such as high-value consumer goods and medical devices. The machine is easy to use and requires only a minimum of accessories. Preparation and control of the building process is conveniently carried out at the user’s desk, so the FORMIGA P 100 lends itself to decentralised production.