If your shipyard needs a five-ton propeller in a hurry, Dutch metal 3D printer maker MX3D has a solution. Its new MX Metal AM System, which can make metal parts as large as 6 x 1.5 x 3.6 meters out of any weldable metal, targets manufacturers in marine, energy, oil & gas, construction, and heavy industry.
In fact, anywhere large cast or forged metal parts are too expensive and slow to produce with traditional methods, MX3D offers an alternative that’s not only faster and cheaper, but about the size of a shipping container and installable practically anywhere.
The MX Metal AM System is a wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) setup incorporating MX3D’s existing technology with new software and accessories that enable customers to supersize their metal WAAM 3D printing.
For everyone who admires MX3D’s stainless steel 3D printed bridge in Amsterdam, you can now have that technology.
Just like MX3D’s smaller system, the M1, the MX is highly customizable. Customers have a choice of power source and 8-axis heavy-duty industrial robotic arm brand (ABB, Kuka). The robotic arms are offered in your choice of reach, payload, force, and accuracy.
“Several of our customers see opportunities for applying WAAM on much bigger parts … to accelerate the lead time, bring down cost, and reshore production of critical parts,” says Gijs van der Velden, MX3D’s CEO.
More features shared with the M1, the MX is an enveloped system that has interchangeable tool attachments to transform into a hybrid additive and subtractive system.
Although MX3D has offered the M1 since 2021, it used its larger technology only for its print service offering. Refined in-house, the MX System now joins a handful of industrial WAAM printers on the market from the likes of AML3D, WAAM3D, Gefertec, and Norsk Titanium.
The MX System prints on multiple adjustable built plates simultaneously, enabling autonomous 24/7 printing, the company says. The new setup is fully integrated with MX3D’s MetalXL end-to-end workflow software and control system.
The software creates a digital twin of the print for parameter optimization and component qualification. There are optional advanced sensors to expand monitoring and advance the closed-loop control system so customers have full traceability of the print process at high resolution in real-time.
The MX Metal AM System can deposit up to 10kg per hour, making quick work of large metal parts. The company has not released a price but its smaller M1 is about $225,000. Our market estimate for the MX Systems is $550,000.
Tech Specs & Price
- Technology: Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM)
- Print volume: 6 x 1.5 x 3.6 m
- Machine footprint: 9.3 x 5.3 x 4.9 m
- Accuracy: 0.05 mm
- Speed: 10 kg/h
- Materials: Any weldable metal
- Price: >$500,000
License: The text of "Get Massive Metal Parts 3D Printed for Industry" by All3DP Pro is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.