Farsoon Europe GmbH and rapid product manufacturing GmbH (rpm) announce the installation of two Farsoon 403P Laser sintering Machines on-site at rpm (Helmstedt, Germany) in May 2020.
Both companies report that after an intensive evaluation process rpm has decided expand their total production capacity and replace some older printers with two advanced Farsoon Laser Sintering Machines. Both Farsoon machines, the SS403P and the HT403P are used for stable, rapid series production of direct end-use application parts with accelerated prototype iterations. The HT403P additionally offers advanced capabilities for high temperature and heat control, which is particularly important for processing the high-performance plastic materials for the automotive and logistics industry. These two Farsoon machines improve upon the productivity for rpm compared to the older machines from other manufacturers. Shortly after commissioning rpm was moving forward with additional speed in prototyping and small series production (up to 10,000 pieces) on their new Farsoon machines. This action now updates rpm´s AM machine park to also support their whole portfolio of in-house plastic technologies. Farsoon is excited and proud to add rpm to its fast-growing list of satisfied partners and looks forward to upcoming success-stories from rpm.
Figure 1: The two Farsoon machines (HT403P and SS403P) producing parts at rpm
Figure 2: The evaluation process of Farsoon systems completed at rpm
Innovative Technology and individual Consultancy as Success Factors
Farsoon Europe has been in contact with rpm for more than a year to ensure that Farsoon’s additive solution perfectly suits the needs of delivering higher quality parts to customers in a faster manner. With the tested surface quality, the production speed and the larger build chamber of the Farsoon 403P machines offer a reliable yield and an efficient workflow for production.
“rpm has evaluated Farsoon deeply for over a year,” explains Dr. Dirk Simon, responsible for Farsoon Europe, “and I am proud that such an experienced 3D service provider intentionally replaces several older laser sintering machines with two Farsoon machines and will benefit from a higher overall productivity.”
It was also important for rpm that the Farsoon machines offer a high degree of flexibility in the setting of parameters, the selection and handling of powders, that contribute to a better control of the plastic additive production. This is particularly helpful in the prototype business to ensure that rpm can deliver the highest quality parts to customers. Farsoon Europe’s decision to appoint Dirk Simon (formerly BASF New Business GmbH) as Managing Director shows that materials are becoming an important part of their services. Over the past three years, Farsoon’s presence in Europe and the United States has been strengthened to provide service and support to customers like rpm who value reliability and local service from equipment manufacturers.
“We see the investment as an important addition to our technology portfolio. The new Farsoon machines help us to stay at the top in terms of speed, surface quality and volume. At the end of the day, we want to be able to deliver better parts to our customers faster and cheaper – that’s what enables us to invest in Farsoon systems.” says Dr. Claus Thomy (Sales Managing Director, rpm).
Figure 3: rpm offers 11 different in-house production technologies for series from 1 to 10,000 parts.
With the new Farsoon machines, rpm has the clear target to increase the production speed and the in-house SLS capacity. At the same time, rpm keeps a portion of the older SLS machines in parallel with the daily production chain, for fabricating moulds and cores for plastic casting process using specialized material mixtures.
“When we started with rpm in 1997, we were almost exclusively focused on rapid product development using additive manufacturing technology SLS (selective laser sintering).” remembers Dr. Jörg Gerken (Technical Managing Director, rpm) “Over the years we have expanded the production chain and now rpm is the point of contact for bringing plastic parts from the idea to reality.”
The new Farsoon machines had been installed and calibrated at rpm and are now ready for series production.
Figure 4: Two Farsoon machines are unloaded to move into the production rooms of rpm and to increase the part throughput speed and production capacity
Figure 5: The Farsoon machines are unpacked by Farsoon engineers and prepared for production.
About Farsoon:
Farsoon Technologies, founded in 2009 in China, is a system supplier of industrial grade plastic laser sintering and metal laser melting systems. Farsoon has developed a team of world-class experts with competencies in electrical/mechanical engineering, laser, scanning and optics, thermal controls, as well as material development and applications engineering. As a globally diverse company, Farsoon was founded with the clear vision and core commitment to creating open platform systems which will give the industry the freedom to innovate and expand the implementation of additive manufacturing in the global product’s marketplace.
Learning from the market about customer needs, Farsoon has moved to address the need for higher levels of productivity, improved feature details, and enhanced operational efficiency and flexibility. Farsoons latest Innovations like the Continuous Additive Manufacturing Solutions (CAMS) and the very accurate and ultra-fast Flight™ Technology stand for highest production rates and real industrial use of Additive Manufacturing.
Farsoon´s subsidiary FARSOON Europe Gmbh (Stuttgart, Germany) provide the whole range of machine portfolio as well as local service and maintenance activities.
About rpm
For more than 20 years, rpm – rapid product manufacturing GmbH (rpm) has made a name for itself as a leading company in the field of rapid prototyping and small batch production from 1 to 10,000 pieces. Its customers include the most important automobile manufacturers and suppliers such as Audi, BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen and their supplier system as well as industry leaders from the mobility, consumer goods and medical industries. rpm GmbH is also a developer and patent owner of the NylonMold ™ and LostCore production process, which enable unique, fast and cost-optimized production for PA6 parts. In recent years, they have focused on expanding their portfolio to 11 in-house technologies that offer exceptional production and consulting expertise.
