Above: Renishaw Plc.’s RenAM 500Q/Image Source: Renishaw Plc.
UK-based Renishaw Plc., one of the world’s leading manufacturing companies with expertise in additive manufacturing has launched a latest system, the RenAM 500Q, which the company says will improve additive manufacturing productivity and lower cost per part. The new AM system features four 500 W lasers that will greatly improve productivity and bring the benefits of additive manufacturing to a host of industries.
Above: Additive component made on RenAM Q500/Image Source: Renishaw Plc,
Renishaw’s RenAM 500Q Metal 3D printer speeds up the additive manufacturing process by four times. This feature of RenAM 500Q has the potential to broaden the market appeal of additive manufacturing and make it an ideal solution for applications that were previously expensive. The company has also positioned the product competitively to ensure that the system helps companies reduce cost per part but at the same time offer high precision and quality provided by a standard single-laser system.
At the heart of the RenAM 500Q is the optical system and control software. Laser beams enter the system through four channels where they are dynamically focused and directed into a single, thermally controlled galvanometer mounting. This galvo mounting contains four pairs of digitally controlled guided mirrors, which make each laser beam have access to the whole powder bed surface simultaneously.
Apart from being built to achieve significantly higher build rates and improve productivity, the RenAM 500Q also features automated powder and waste handling systems that ensure consistent process quality, reduce manual intervention time and high standards of system safety.
Offering more details of how the new system benefits customers, Robin Weston, Marketing Manager at Renishaw’s Additive Manufacturing Products Division said in an official statement, “Renishaw’s additive manufacturing machines and optical systems are designed, engineered and manufactured in-house, giving us exceptional control over system performance.” “Using innovative design of the optical system and by incorporating digital controls and dynamic focussing, all four lasers can address the powder bed simultaneously – improving the speed, productivity and capability of the machine.
“Additive manufacturing is a key enabler of the optical system,” continued Weston. “It allows tighter packaging of mirrors and the incorporation of internal conformal cooling channels to maintain precise thermal stability,” Weston concluded.
