“To make the printing process as accurate
as possible, it is crucial that the two print
heads are perfectly aligned, even at fast
speeds. In order to avoid shock during
printing, the support of the print bed must
also be constructed so that it is complete-
ly stable”, explains Rene Zielke, who is
head of plant development.“In addition, since the mechanism for rais-
ing and lowering the print heads is such
a visible interface between the user and
machine, it was important to us that the
linear guide looked and felt high-quali-
ty,” adds Zielke who was involved in the
printer ́s development right from the start.
While the AIM3D engineers aimed atdrastically reducing the cost of additive
manufacturing, they did not want to do
so by compromising on quality. However,
finding this combination of features at an
acceptable price proved more challenging
than expected, until they came across
HepcoMotion.High-end engineering
Mark Völkers, Sales Representative from
HepcoMotion, advised the AIM3D team
on the most appropriate products for their
application: “There was not much space
in the printer and the guides are subjected
to considerable loads under high acceler-
ation whilst still needing to work reliably
and accurately. Here, Hepco’s slimlineFeature: Linear guidance system
A perfect
connection:
Revolutionary technology
meets robust engineering
24 dpaonthenet.net
I
n early 2015 an East German StartUp,
AIM3D, set out to revolutionise the 3D
printing world by creating a 3D printing
machine that would offer the potential to
eventually become a standard tool on every
workbench. One unexpected challenge in
this quest was finding a suitable provider of
a high-quality linear guidance system that
would fit their needs.The ExAM255 is the first industrial 3D printer worldwide
producing metal pieces using injection moulding granules