Additive and subtractive 3-D printing system This six-axis printer combines Thermwood's semi-enclosed gantry machine structures with a vertical extruder head designed by American Kuhne, Ashaway, R.I. The printer, which Thermwood hopes to begin selling in the next few months, has been designed to manufacture carbon-graphite-reinforced composite thermoplastic components measuring up to 10 feet by 10 feet by 5 five feet. The system uses a near-shape approach, in which material is first extruded to create a structure that is close to the final shape, then five-axis machined to the final shape.
What's new? The machine. Based on Thermwood's five-axis Model 77 CNC machining center, the custom-designed machine has an optional second gantry.
Benefits The ability to remove material, by making use of the second gantry, and the ability to build multi-layered structures on planes inclined in any direction by as much as 90 degrees. The machine is designed to process more than 100 pounds of material per hour.
Thermwood Corp., Dale, Ind., 812-937-4476, www.thermwood.com
