New 3D Printing System from ExOne Vastly Increases Print Speeds and Manufacturing Capabilities for Industrial Products

IRWIN, Pa., Sept. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ex One Company (ExOne), the leading additive manufacturing company for the industrial sector, introduced its newest state-of-the-art 3D printer today in advance of the 2012 International Machine Technology Show in Chicago, September 10-15. The M-FLEX 3D Printing System – on display in the Additive Manufacturing area of the IMTS Emerging Technology Center (Booth N-650 in the North Building) – dramatically increases the capabilities of a 3D metal printer, offering more than seven times the volume output of machines currently in use.

Streamlined and sleek, the mid-sized M-FLEX system is primarily designed for manufacturing metal parts, for use in industries such as mining, automotive and energy.  Eventually, additional material sets can be printed on the M-FLEX, including tungsten, glass, ceramics and a variety of materials used for the casting industry. The M-FLEX's productivity improvements and increased flexibility are housed in a build chamber of 400mm x 250mm x 250mm that can achieve build speeds of 30 seconds per layer – compared to previous build speeds of approximately one-and-a-half minutes per layer.

"We've made tremendous strides in 3D printing in the last decade and what our machines can do today is simply remarkable. We are printing engine castings for helicopters and replacing broken pumps in oil fields in days – not months," said Dave Burns, President of ExOne. "The M-FLEX continues our leadership in developing the 3D printing technology that has made additive manufacturing the most compelling advanced technology used in industry today."

The machine is well suited for either prototypes or short runs of multiple and/or custom parts.  The complete machine system includes a printer, recycling equipment, printing materials, a furnace and a comprehensive multimedia training program.

The M-FLEX employs the ExOne approach to additive manufacturing, utilizing a print head to distribute binder into beds of specially prepared and formulated materials. Within the world of additive manufacturing, ExOne is distinctive in that it offers solutions that are focused upon industrial users and applications, and the M-FLEX is the latest machine to serve that market.

ExOne will also be exhibiting at IMTS in the North Building (Booth N-6144) where they will be showcasing their capabilities with 3D printing showing some of the largest sand molds and cores ever created with additive manufacturing. Also on display will be components manufactured with their Orion™ short-pulse laser system with state-of-the-art beam manipulation which permits the fabrication of complex shapes, including direct and inverse taper.

About The Ex One Company, LLC
ExOne is dedicated to the development and implementation of advanced material systems and manufacturing processes. Headquartered in North Huntingdon, Pa., ExOne has U.S. facilities in Troy, Mich. and Houston, Texas, as well as global operations in Germany, Japan and Russia. Founded in 2005 as a spin-off of Extrude Hone Corporation, a world-wide supplier and developer of precision nontraditional machining processes and automated systems, ExOne has expanded to deliver consistent and fast turnaround service to customers across the world in the aerospace, automotive, energy/oil/gas/pumps, medical/biomedical, and art/design/decorative spaces by providing machine systems and contract services. Backed by a staff of experienced leaders in advanced manufacturing technologies and augmented by partner specialists in modeling and simulation, material science and metallurgy, ExOne strives to dramatically improve manufacturing techniques in the United States and worldwide. For more information, visit www.ExOne.com.

SOURCE ExOne