Magnum Venus Products (MVP), a global manufacturer of fluid movement and production solutions for industrial applications is launching a new model of its Reactive Additive Manufacturing (RAM) system to enable cost-effective fabrication of thermoset materials at medium- and large-scale. The new model, named RAM 48, has a print area of four-by-eight feet with modular, expandable four-by-four-foot sections to allow for custom build dimensions.
Since the launch of the RAM system in 2019, MVP has discovered new applications for this technology, and it designed RAM 48 to complement its original RAM 816 model and take full advantage of these breakthroughs. “Thermosets, or plastics which cannot be remelted, have long been used in injection and compression molding, but we are just beginning to harness the potential of 3d printing with thermosets,” says Mike Kastura, Director of Product Management at MVP.
Thermosets contain polymers that chemically react in the curing process, cross-linking between printed layers to form a powerful bond, and resulting in stronger, more heat-tolerant products. These inherent properties of thermoset materials enable printing with open layer times, which creates the ability to pick and place items into the print, such as heating channels or sensors to monitor part specifications. Another benefit is the ability print multiple parts simultaneously, and to print through a previous path, allowing more complex designs than ever before. Thermosets also enable secondary bonding of materials, making it easier and faster to achieve a class-A surface finish, join two parts, or quickly repair a damaged mold.
Manufacturing on Demand
“We are excited to continue to innovate and develop disruptive technologies in the additive manufacturing landscape,” said Andrew Hedger, Senior Director of Business Development at MVP. “Developments like these will alter the way our customers operate by giving them the right tools to maximize production efficiency and build better, higher-quality products.”
The RAM 48 model is already making waves in the additive industry. Mississippi State University Advanced Composites Institutes recently placed a pre-order for the new RAM 48 model and plans to develop transformative composite technologies for its industry partners utilizing the RAM system.
Developed in collaboration with scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the Reactive Additive Manufacturing and relative system was the first to successfully produce large-scale prints of thermoset materials. Polynt-Reichhold designed a specialty print media to use in the RAM system, PRD-1520. The team earned a CAMX ACE award in 2019 and is once again a finalist this year for developing a novel method to produce unsupported 90-degree overhangs in large-scale thermoset printing. Visit the MVP booth (AA28) at CAMX to view 3d printed thermoset molds currently used in the industry.
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Author: 3D Printing Media Network
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