We’re celebrating getting to the “fringe” of the weekend with a Heat Treat Fringe Friday a press release detailing how additive manufacturing continues to move into the metals manufacturing industry.
While not exactly heat treat, “Fringe Friday” deals with interesting developments in one of our key markets: aerospace, automotive, medical, energy, or general manufacturing.
Desktop Metal, a global company at the forefront of additive manufacturing 2.0 technologies for mass production, announced that it has installed four Figur G15 Pro systems featuring digital sheet forming (DSF) technology to three manufacturers, including Evology Manufacturing in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
With 30+ years as a contract manufacturer, Evology has a full suite of both traditional and additive technologies to service companies in a wide range of industries, including aerospace, defense, automotive, agricultural, marine, mining, medical, electronics, and consumer goods. Evology serves companies ranging from small startups to Fortune 50 companies with prototyping and low-volume production, typically under 10,000 pieces.
Evology is now offering digital sheet form parts off its Figur G15 for cold rolled steel up to 2 mm thick and 6061 aluminum up to 3.175 mm thick, with more materials in development.
“We are delighted to offer our customers this cutting-edge rapid sheet metal forming technology from Desktop Metal,” said Sean Momsen, VP of Business Development and Marketing at Evology. “In addition to our ability to fabricate sheet metal parts rapidly, we also have a full suite of traditional finishing equipment to deliver finished final products to customers.”
Justin Nardone, CEO of Figur, a Desktop Metal brand, said, “We are encouraged by the continued demand we see for our rapid sheet metal forming technology, which truly saves manufacturers time and money when it comes to sheet metal production. The G15 eliminates a lot of the work required when forming metal, such as the design and manufacturing of tools and dies. Our system produces designs quickly, accurately, and repeatedly, so manufacturers are able to focus on the craftsmanship of design while getting their products to market faster and more efficiently.”
Introduced in 2022, the Figur G15 is the first commercial platform of its kind to shape sheet metal on demand directly from a digital file. A software-driven proprietary tooling system on an XY gantry forms the sheet with up to 2,000 lbs of force in a highly engineered and proprietary build zone.
With a maximum sheet size of 1,600 x 1,200 mm (63.0 x 47.2 in), the Figur G15 delivers parts with a draw depth up to 400 mm (16 in) in Z without custom forming tools, molds, dies, or presses. The G15 supports forming a range of metals and sheet thicknesses – including steel up to 2.0 mm and aluminum up to 2.5 mm – and delivers a high quality surface finish
Pro configurations of the Figur G15 include an automatic tool changer and measurement, through tool part lubrication, and automated work holding capabilities.
This press release is available in its original form here.
