Solaxis Ingenious Manufacturing, leader in additive manufacturing of thermoplastics, pursues an investment project evaluated at over 2.39 million dollars in order to expand their technological offer and increase their competitiveness on the market.
This investment allows the company specialized in industrial 3D printing of high performance thermoplastic industrial parts, to increase their production capacity, namely through the acquisition of new equipment and cutting-edge digital material.
“It is a major project for us. The acquisition of these new additive manufacturing technologies will increase our monthly production rate 25x, which could reach 5,000 to 20,000 parts per month.” – Francois Guilbault, President of Solaxis.
DIRECT BENEFITS FOR INDUSTRIAL SECTOR
A competitive solution for small and medium productions
This new manufacturing process allows the production of a higher number of parts in less time, which has a major impact on production costs. The innovative SME is confident they can better cater to the evolutionary needs of the industrial sector, as well as to their value chain.
There are not enough advantageous technologies available for small and medium productions. Therefore, Solaxis opted for a more competitive 3D printing solution with a higher production throughput, while continuing to provide quality products.
This thermoplastic powder-based 3D printing technology can even rival traditional manufacturing methods, such as injection. It is perfectly complementary with the FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) industrial process which has been in place at Solaxis since 2010.
Superior Mechanical Properties
The new technology allows to reach superior properties compared to other materials available on the industrial 3D printing market. For example, the elongation at break can reach more than 30% and the ultimate tensile strength is also very high. The isotropic properties (constant properties at every axe) also provide a great advantage compared to filament technology.
A Superior and Automated Surface Finish
The new printers are equipped with an ultra performant laser which provides the manufactured parts with a superior finish and high level of details achievable.
Solaxis also invested in automated surface treatment equipment. The new processes allow to automate the surface finish and coloring for a smooth, consistent, and repeatable finish. One of the systems allows to produce sealed and washable parts, with a surface similar to injection.
A New R&D Laboratory
Thanks to the new testing equipment, Solaxis will be able to parameter their operation windows, develop their own material recipes, characterise the primary materials and the parts’ performance. This is an aspect that is more and more in demand within large enterprises.
Development of a Decision Support Software
The Bromont based company is also developing a complex analysis system with different algorithms in order to accelerate the engineering process, making technical communications with clients more efficient. The ultimate goal is to create a simple, user-friendly online interface to support decision making. It will be useful for clients who would like to be guided in the selection of their fabrication and finishing options, making technical exchanges with the engineering department easy.
Solaxis’ Objective is Clear: simplifying all small and medium complex parts production projects.
About Solaxis:
Solaxis specializes in large-format 3D printing and small series (1 - 10,000 parts) with advanced and certified thermoplastics, for production parts, functional prototypes and specialized tooling.
Source:
Marie-Christine Flibotte, marketing-communications and inside sales specialist
Solaxis Ingenious Manufacturing
mcflibotte@solaxis.ca
1 877 919-1515 ext. 300
