Thermwood Offers Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) Line
Rapid 2018: The systems can 3D print and trim large, near-net-shape reinforced thermoplastic composite parts.
Thermwood Corp. offers a line of additive manufacturing (AM) systems for the production of large to very large reinforced thermoplastic composite parts. The Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) line uses a two-step, near-net-shape production process. First the part is 3D printed, layer by layer, to slightly larger than the final size, then it is trimmed to its exact final size and shape using a CNC router. Both printing and trimming happen on the same machine, using two different gantries.
Although suitable for producing a variety of components, Thermwood’s LSAM is used for producing large to very large industrial tooling, masters, patterns, molds and production fixtures for a variety of industries including aerospace, automotive, boating, foundry and thermoforming. The system is said to offer lower costs and shorter build cycles for production tooling.
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