Production System™

High-speed metal 3D printing for mass production

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Production System™ Background Video
  • — 01

    Excellent part quality

  • — 02

    Competitive cost per part

  • — 03

    Best in class repeatability

  • — 04

    Wide material compatibility

Systems Overview

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_Benefits

Created by the inventors of binder jetting and single-pass inkjet technology, the Production System™ is designed to be the fastest way to 3D print metal parts at scale.¹

_Benefits

[01]

Excellent part quality

Excellent part quality

High-resolution 3D printing and a uniform print bed allow the Production System™ to produce dense, high-quality parts capable of performing in the most demanding applications.

High resolution printing

High resolution printing

With a native resolution of 1200x1200 dpi and layer heights as small as 50 µm, the Production System™ is a precision binder jetting system that can 3D print parts with excellent surface finish and incredibly fine features.²

Uniform print bed

Uniform print bed

Proprietary constant wave spreading technology maintains a consistent powder wave in front of the compaction roller during printing, enhancing density uniformity across the powder bed. The result is greater consistency across parts within each build and from build-to-build.

Fully dense parts

Fully dense parts

3D print customer-ready parts with densities up to or exceeding 99% without the need for infill or a solvent debind step. With properties similar to castings, Production System™ parts are suitable for demanding applications where strength is critical.

Excellent part quality

_Benefits

[02]

Competitive cost per part

Competitive cost per part

Delivers part cost competitive with traditional mass production techniques through the use of low-cost metal injection molding (MIM) powders, high-speed 3D printing and the ability to densely nest many parts in a single build.

Low cost MIM powders

Low cost MIM powders

The Production System™ uses the same low-cost powders used in the MIM industry, allowing customers to access an established powder supply chain with the scale required to support volume production and a variety of readily usable alloys. As much as 99% or more of the loose powder recovered during the process can be recycled, driving further cost efficiencies while reducing waste.

High speed printing

High speed printing

Up to tens of thousands of parts per day³ can be 3D printed with the Production System’s™ bi-directional, Single Pass Jetting™ (SPJ) print technology, which utilizes each pass of the print carriage to build parts, achieving print speeds of up to 100x those of laser powder bed fusion systems, maximizing productivity.⁴

Dense 3D nesting

Dense 3D nesting

The tooling-free, binder jetting 3D printing process of the Production System™ means parts are supported by loose powder and do not require welding to a build plate. This enables customers to fill the build volume with densely nested parts to efficiently deliver high-throughput builds.

Competitive cost per part

_Benefits

[03]

Best in class repeatability

Best in class repeatability

The Production System™ offers robust repeatability, through anti-ballistics technology, print bar redundancy and live optical print bed inspection. Meaning you can print with confidence.

Print reliability

Print reliability

Patented anti-ballistics technology - engineered to reduce powder bed disturbance - drastically reduces variability in the 3D printing process while increasing the longevity of the print bar. This facilitates reliable prints, and excellent part quality.

Print bar redundancy

Anti-banding

Full print bar redundancy is achieved using an anti-banding mechanism in which the print bar is re-aligned between layers, ensuring reliable binder deposition and suppressing defects that would otherwise affect final part quality. This mechanism eliminates the need for hard, nozzle-based redundancy while improving maintenance accessibility.

Real-time print bed inspection

Live bed inspection

An overhead camera monitors each layer using multi-angle imaging to detect print defects and nozzle performance during printing, facilitating part inspection and build audits critical to deploying additive manufacturing in production environments.

Best in class repeatability

_Benefits

[04]

Wide material compatibility

Wide material compatibility

The Production System's™ inert environment, open material platform, and selection of Desktop Metal-engineered binders enable 3D printing with a wide variety of metals—including everything from stainless steels to reactive metals and high-performance alloys.

Inert, closed powder environment

Inert environment

A closed powder environment - inerted to < 2% Oxygen - safely supports a range of both non-reactive and reactive metals in a controlled fashion. Isolation from ambient conditions produces powder with consistent characteristics and quality, facilitating part uniformity and repeatability.

Open material platform

Open materials platform

The Production System™ features an open material platform which allows customers to source the same metal powders used in the MIM industry or custom alloys from their supplier of choice, keeping costs low and ensuring compatibility with bulk sintering processes.

Desktop Metal-engineered binders

Desktop Metal-engineered binders

Developed by expert materials scientists at Desktop Metal, our proprietary binders are formulated to support a broad array of alloys and to maximize success through every stage of the binder jetting process - ensuring jettability during printing, green part strength during depowdering, and clean burn off prior to sintering.

Wide material compatibility

How it works

_Technology introduction

Powered by Single Pass Jetting™, the Production System™ features bi-directional 3D printing—so whenever there is movement, there is printing.

  • — 01

    Print

    With bi-directional single pass jetting, all steps of the print process—powder deposition, spreading, compacting, ballistic suppression, and binder jetting—are applied with each pass over the build area. Layer by layer, metal powder and binder is deposited until the entire build volume is packed with bound parts and surrounding loose powder.

  • — 02

    Depowder

    When a build is complete, the build box is removed and replaced with a fresh box for the next build. The completed build box is moved to a depowdering station where loose powder is removed and parts are prepared for sintering.

  • — 03

    Sinter

    Depowdered parts and loaded into an industrial furnace where they are heated to temperatures near melting. Remaining binder is removed causing the metal particles to fuse together and the parts to densify.

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Part Gallery

_Production System™ applications

The Production System™ delivers the speed, quality and cost-per-part needed for metal 3D printing to compete with traditional manufacturing.

  • Seat Belt Pulley

    17-4 PH
    This output pulley is an essential component of the reclining mechanism in a car seat.

    Seat Belt Pulley

    • Size (mm) 48 x 29 x 9
      Cost per part ($) 0.89
      Parts per build 2,740
      Annual throughput 995,900

    • This part features an undercut radial groove that, without printing, would require advanced sliders during the press-and-sinter process. Printed on the Production System eliminates the cost and complexities associated with press and sinter.

  • Surgical Tool Nozzle

    17-4 PH
    Nozzle used during surgery; customized for each patient.

    Surgical Tool Nozzle

    • Size (mm) 27 x 47 x 21
      Cost per part ($) 1.91
      Parts per build 860
      Annual throughput 400,140

    • This surgical nozzle features a customized internal channel designed specifically for each patient. The Production System allowed this part to be mass customized and produced without any tooling, allowing it to be fine-tuned for an array of patients.

      The internal channel featured in this nozzle would require complex machining operations with multiple fixturing setups; printing on the Production System eliminates those steps, resulting in cost savings.

  • BMW Water Wheel

    17-4 PH
    The waterwheel is an integral part of the BMW’s engine cooling system.

    BMW Water Wheel

    • Size (mm) 63 x 63 x 34
      Cost per part ($) 9.74
      Parts per build 170
      Annual throughput 63,230

    • Initially made of several plastic parts, BMW redesigned this waterwheel for printing on a laser-based system, but found the process to slow and expensive for mass production.

      The Production system unlocks higher throughput, allowing the part to be manufactured at a competitive price, bringing the race track to the road.

  • Audi Fixture

    17-4 PH
    This custom manufacturing fixture was created for use on an Audi production line.

    Audi Fixture

    • Size (mm) 127 x 51 x 38
      Cost per part ($) 19.18
      Parts per build 110
      Annual throughput 41,500

    • With complex internal conformal cooling channels that span the base and the wall, this fixture would normally be manufactured in multiple pieces and welded together. As production increases, this part would be too expensive and time-consuming to scale.

      Using the Production System, the fixture is printed as a single part with cooling channels intact—reducing part cost, lead time, and manufacturing complexity.

  • Parking Shift Bracket

    17-4 PH
    This bracket is used in the parking brake assembly of a continuously variable transmission.

    Parking Shift Bracket

    • Size (mm) 93 x 44 x 12
      Cost per part ($) 2.84
      Parts per build 680
      Annual throughput 248,980

    • This part would require a complex die and multiple secondary operations to be produced via traditional powder metallurgy techniques.

      The Production system eliminates the need for tooling, dramatically reducing lead times, reducing part costs and enables the redesign of this part to consolidate an assembly into a single part.

  • Watch Bezel

    17-4 PH
    A watch bezel is the main component that houses the dial and movement.

    Watch Bezel

    • Size (mm) 43 x 48 x 9.5
      Cost per part ($) 1.06
      Parts per build 1,200
      Annual throughput 497,950

    • Because it prints parts with no tooling, the Production System is capable of printing multiple different watch models in each run, greatly reducing manufacturing part cost and lead time.

  • Ntopology Gear

    17-4 PH
    This gear features a complex internal lattice structure only achievable via 3D printing.

    Ntopology Gear

    • Size (mm) 63 x 63 x 12.5
      Cost per part ($) 6.09
      Parts per build 460
      Annual throughput 165,980

    • This part features a complex lattice structure used to lightweight the part while still providing strength.

      The Production System allows for the manufacturing of complex geometries that cannot be manufactured any other way.

  • Power Steering Joint

    17-4 PH
    This joint is designed to power transfer in an electric power steering system.

    Power Steering Joint

    • Size (mm) 36 x 36 x 22
      Cost per part ($) 1.89
      Parts per build 1,140
      Annual throughput 470,424

    • This joint is used for power transfer between an electric power steering motor and the steering shaft in an automobile. The production system allowed for this part to be produced with no tooling, allowing for accelerated lead time and flexible design.

  • Custom Bolt

    17-4 PH
    This custom-designed bolt is used in specific applications.

    Custom Bolt

    • Size (mm) 70 x 16 x 12
      Cost per part ($) 1.10
      Parts per build 2,280
      Annual throughput 829,920

    • Due to the high cost of hard tooling, most bolts are manufactured in quantities of millions. For this bolt, however, only a few tens of thousands were needed. By printing on the Production System this bolt can be produced with no tooling at an dramatically reduced cost per part.

  • Spauger Bit

    17-4 PH
    This part is a drill bit used to quickly drill holes in clean wood.

    Spauger Bit

    • Size (mm) 166 x 12 x 12
      Cost per part ($) 1.95
      Parts per build 800
      Annual throughput 280,470

    • Using traditional methods, this spauger bit required more than 20 manufacturing steps. With the Production System, that number is reduced to just four, with post processing only required to reach the desired hardness and surface finish. This greatly reduces the part cost and manufacturing lead time.

  • Stator

    17-4 PH
    This stator is designed for use in a small electric motor.

    Stator

    • Size (mm) 60 x 60 x 16
      Cost per part ($) 2.82
      Parts per build 460
      Annual throughput 189,700

    • This stator is part of a small electric motor that was produced in low volume, making it difficult to justify the cost of hard tooling for metal injection molding (MIM). The entire run of parts could be produced in one run of the Production System at the desired part cost and greatly reduced manufacturing lead time.

  • Watch Case

    17-4 PH
    The case is the main component of a watch, and houses the dial and movement.

    Watch Case

    • Size (mm) 47 x 38 x 7.7
      Cost per part ($) 1.96
      Parts per build 1,170
      Annual throughput 1,825,824

    • For each different watch model and size, different tooling is required. This makes doing smaller, more custom watch models prohibitively expensive. The Production system eliminates the need for tooling dramatically reducing part cost.

      Watch producers can now manufacture on-demand, producing watch designs that never could have been justified before.

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Applications by industry

_Industries

Explore applications for 3D printing across a range of industries.

  • Automotive

    For automotive manufacturers, 3D printing opens new opportunities for rapid prototyping, creating parts with more complexity than ever before, identifying opportunities for assembly consolidation and exploring new business models centered around on-demand production.

    Learn More
  • Consumer goods

    Consumer Goods

    Manufacturers of consumer goods can use 3D printing for rapid prototyping and testing of new designs for both functionality and market feedback, and as a flexible manufacturing line for low-volume and regionally-targeted production that allows greater design freedom for product customization.

    Learn More

  • Education

    By investing in 3D printing, educational institutions provide students the tools to bring their work to life, help them build important career skills and enable them to act as additive manufacturing champions when they enter the workforce.

    Learn More

  • Machine Design

    Using 3D printing, machine designers can print and test multiple part variations, create geometry that cannot be machined, consolidate large assemblies into fewer parts and reduce warehousing costs by printing custom parts on demand.

    Learn More

  • Heavy Industry

    Heavy industry firms can use metal 3D printing to create highly-customized components from hard-to-machine materials, keep per-part costs low for custom, low-volume parts, and enable the creation of new designs with greater geometric complexity.

    Learn More

  • Manufacturing Tooling

    For companies that produce manufacturing tooling, 3D printing can be an invaluable resource, allowing them to quickly and inexpensively produce complex, custom tooling and easily replace tools when needed, reducing downtime on manufacturing lines.

    Learn More
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1. Based on published speeds of binder jetting and laser powder bed fusion systems comparable to the Production System™ available as of August 25, 2020 and using comparable materials and processing parameters.

2. Default profiles available for 50 μm — 100 μm; 30 μm — 200 μm layer thickness is material and powder dependent.

3. Management Estimates as of 12/7/2020

4. Based on published speeds of single-laser, mid-range laser powder bed fusion systems as of August 25, 2020.

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