Arburg's expertise in plastics processing also includes solutions for industrial 3D printing from sister company ARBURGadditive. The additive manufacturing of grippers and operating equipment, for example, is an interesting option for injection molding plants. On the Arburg stand D 42 in Hall 4.1, a Freeformer 300-3X will be producing a gripper in a multi-material combination at Chinaplas 2024.

Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF) can also reliably and reproducibly process a wide range of original and certified plastic granules, including granules for high-temperature applications. This makes the process particularly suitable for components used in areas such as medical technology and aerospace. The Freeformer 750-3X has three discharge units and additively manufactures resilient functional parts, including in hard/soft combination and from original plastic granules. Source: Arburg

Additive manufacturing of end-of-arm tooling (EOAT)

At Chinaplas 2024, a Freeformer 300-3X will demonstrate how EOAT for various robotic systems and handling tasks can be 3D printed on demand quickly, cost-effectively and customized for specific applications. One example is a multi-material gripper, which is created in a single step with the aid of support material and without the need for any additional assembly work. The result is a resilient functional component in hard/soft combination. The hard housing is made of PC/ABS, while the soft TPE nozzle closure expands positively using compressed air to reliably remove a molded part from the mold.

Wide range of components

The Freeformer can be used to realize sophisticated designs and complex geometries. Many examples of components will be on display at Chinaplas 2024, including products for the aerospace industry made from Ultem 9085. The Freeformer, which is suitable for clean rooms, can also be used in medical technology, for example to produce resorbable implants, breast prostheses and medical devices and aids. Customized multi-material applications such as shoe insoles made of flexible TPE and a hard zone made of PP are also very interesting. The APF process is also ideal for sophisticated additive manufacturing of parts made from semi-crystalline PP.