We were able to see one of Orion AM’s Thermal Radiation Fusion 3D printers in action.
“THR” is Orion AM’s name for their unusual 3D printing process, which we described in a story earlier this year.
It’s basically a variation on the FFF process, and uses a delta-style motion system. The big difference, however, is that they use infrared radiation to provide extra heating on each layer.
The idea is to increase the bonds between layers, which is typically the weak point of any FFF 3D printing system. That’s because the layers cool a bit while waiting for the next layer, and that reduces adhesion. In TRH the layers are heated sufficiently to provide incredible layer adhesion.
The result is parts that exhibit near-isotropic strength, that is, they are equally strong in all directions. This is quite unlike typical FFF parts that tend to delaminate along the layer lines.
Orion AM told us that in many cases their parts are actually stronger than traditionally made injection molded parts.
How strong are they? We twisted this specimen and there was absolutely no delimitation.
The hot end in the company’s A150 THR 3D printer can reach a scorching 500C, but the special infrared components can raise the temperature of the partial print to 320C. That’s vastly higher than what’s found in typical build chambers, which are heated to perhaps 90C.
The inside of the A150 is quite interesting to watch while printing. The infrared light provides a very reddish tone to the build chamber, and it actually flickers while printing. To the eye, it’s as if there is a fire inside the machine.
I suppose you could say there is a fire in the machine, it’s plenty hot.
The other specifications for the A150 are quite similar to typical FFF devices, and it offers a build cylindrical build volume of 180mm diameter x 150mm tall. Note that the cylindrical build volume is ideal for blasting radiation at the part.
Since we last wrote about Orion AM, it seems they’ve released a larger format device, the A460. This has a larger build volume of 460mm x 500mm. Thermally, it offers similar capabilities to the A150.
All of these machines are compatible with a wide range of high performance engineering materials, including PEEK, PAEK, PEKK, PPSU, PEI, PI, PC, PA, ABS and more.
There are several high temperature 3D printers on the market today, but it seems that only Orion AM offers the ability to properly fuse layers using infrared radiation.
Via Orion AM
