The Bosch Group has shown a growing interest for additive manufacturing over the past few years. The company owns Dremel (a pioneer in educational desktop 3D printers), it has made strategic investments in/formed strategic partnerships with companies such as Arris, Anisoprint and BigRep, it acquired 3D printers (from basic Ultimakers to industrial SLM Solutions systems) and its ceramic division, Bosch Advanced Ceramics has made progress in offering technical ceramic 3D printing capabilities. Now Bosch Industrial Additive Manufacturing, aka BIAM, unveiled a product known (for now) as 3D Printer MVP – (Minimum Viable Product), a 3D printer based on a pellet extrusion process that uses widely available granulate materials.
The strangest part of all this is that, while the system was apparently released in June 2022, very few people seem to know about it and no media has reported the story yet. The reason for this is that the 3D Printer MVP is going to launch as a minimum viable product (MVP), for a selected group of customers, in the beginning of 2023, as Bosch Industrial Additive Manufacturing Industrial Design Engineer, Alex Voigt, revealed on his LinkedIn page.
Manufacturing on Demand
Voigt added that the system will be able to print with “nearly every injection molding material (plastic pellets) out there [and be used to] produce prototypes […] using the same material as in production later and even saving costs at the same time? Or produce a small series in a specific, heavily used material in the industry like PA66 or PA66 GF35.”
So what can potentially interested parties expect from this new 3D Printer MVP? Bosch Industrial Additive Manufacturing describes its 3D printer “as the next step in industrial manufacturing and able to use industrial granulate directly as printing material.” The company developed its own granulate extrusion process combined with a client-oriented business model with the goal of enabling clients to dive right into 3D printing using common industrial but sustainable materials. Towards this effort, the 3D Printer MVP will provide features to be usable by early clients who can provide feedback according to their needs.
Some highlights of the 3D Printer MVP are the features and services the 3D printer already comes with. Initially, it will start with three different industrial materials (PA66 GF30, PA12, PLA) for the first version. The printer has two extruders, and it can print one material at a time. In the next step, it will be able to handle two different materials simultaneously and add the possibility to use support material as well. The system’s build volume stands at a hefty 420 x 420 x 420 mm with the ability to extrude up to 350°C and heat the build plate up to 120°C. The build rate starts at 8 cm³/h and Bosch said it will be increasing with the next update.
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