Additive manufacturing system helps users STEP up to production volumes

The machine lays down layers of material, similar to the way a 2D laser printer does, then fuses them into three-dimensional parts having uniform density. Images: Evolve

Evolve Additive Solutions’ production system combines the flexibility of additive manufacturing technology with the volume and quality capabilities of injection molding, reports the Minnetonka, Minn., company.

The system’s operation is based on the company’s STEP (Selective Thermoplastic Electrophotographic Process) technology.

The machine lays down layers of material, similar to the way a 2D laser printer does, then fuses them into 3D parts having uniform density. STEP reportedly allows the machine, which can build parts from multiple thermoplastic materials of different colors, to operate 10 times faster than other industrial 3D printers.

The machine incorporates Evolve’s SVP (Scalable Volume Production) platform. The SVP features a B&R Industrial Automation control system that regulates the AM process, safety and human/machine interface, and IIoT connectivity.

B&R, an Austria-based business unit of ABB Group, explained that its control synchronizes the alignment of the 2D-printed layers between the reciprocating platens and the moving belt. “Combined with high-performance pressure and temperature control during the fusing stage, Evolve is able to achieve an average surface roughness of 4 microns—even without postprocessing.”

Evolve noted that because STEP technology is based on digital rather than physical parts, users can produce the exact same part to the exact same specs anywhere in the world they have one of the machines.

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