Optomec Showcases 3D Metal Hybrid Controlled Atmosphere System at FormNext

Optomec will showcase its new controlled atmosphere LENS 3D Hybrid Machine Tool at the Formnext Conference held Nov. 14-17, in Frankfurt, Germany.The industry first and only LENS 3D Hybrid System enables additive and subtractive processing of aluminum, titanium and other reactive metals all in one affordable machine tool platform.
 
Optomec LENS systems are the leading Directed Energy Deposition (DED) solution on the market, with nearly 100 installations. The new LENS 3D Machine Tool Series (MTS) low-cost products enable 3D printed metal solutions at roughly 1/3 the price of powder bed based systems, in terms of equipment cost, powder cost and throughput, and further have the benefit of enabling high ROI applications such as repair and wear coatings.
 
The Optomec LENS 3D MTS combines a high-quality CNC platform with LENS technology to bring metal additive manufacturing capabilities to a broader market.The series includes four models each designed to reduce manufacturing process times and costs while enabling improved end product performance.
 
The LENS 3D MTS Additive model provides high-value, open atmosphere processing at the lowest cost.With international pricing starting below €250,000 and a large work envelope of 500 x 300 x 500 mm, this machine is a breakthrough in pricing and functionality.The second in the series is the LENS 3D MTS Hybrid model, which combines additive and subtractive open atmosphere processing on the same machine at a price point below €300,000.
 
The third is the controlled atmosphere LENS 3D MTS Additive model which seals the build envelop in an argon glovebox to extend processing capabilities for reactive metals such as titanium and aluminum, at less than €400,000. Rounding out the series is the industry first and only controlled atmosphere LENS 3D Hybrid model. which enables additive and subtractive processing of titanium, aluminum and other reactive metals in a single machine tool at a price point below €450,000. 
 
“The market reaction to the LENS 3D Machine Tool series has been outstanding,” said Ken Vartanian, VP of marketing at Optomec. Since its introduction a little over a year ago, Optomec has received orders from industrial and academic customers around the world.”

LENS Hybrid MTS. (Source: Optomec)