Friedberg, Germany, October 25th, 2023 —

voxeljet AG (NASDAQ: VJET) and Loramendi demonstrate the world’s first fully automated additive serial 3D production line for sand cores, jointly developed as part of the Industrialization of Core Printing (ICP) cooperation project. A new video released today features the implementation of the first ICP production line at BMW Group’s (OTCPK:BMWYY) plant in Landshut, Germany. As BMW Group’s largest component plant, Landshut has approximately 3,500 employees and supplies all of its vehicle and engine plants worldwide, including for nearly all BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles, and for its motorcycle brand, BMW Motorrad.

The customized, low-emissions solution integrates voxeljet’s high-speed VX1300-X (VJET-X) 3D printers into a fully automated pre- and post-processing workflow, including industrial microwaves for curing the 3D printed cores. Printing rates were increased by factor ten with the latest generation of VJET-X 3D printers, and the toolless design of the sand cores allowed for variant changes at unprecedented speed without time-consuming tool changes and production downtime. The unused material is 100% recycled and reused in the production process.

“The fully-automated 3D production line at BMW’s Landshut plant is a key milestone not only for voxeljet, but for the entire 3D printing and automotive industry,” said Dr. Ingo Ederer, founder and CEO of voxeljet. “We believe this customized, near-zero emissions solution achieved in partnership between voxeljet, Loramendi and BMW will become an industry standard.”

Together, voxeljet and Loramendi are revolutionizing the industrialization of core printing. The production of inorganic 3D printed cores has enabled BMW Group to advance the design of its engine components. For example, the cylinder head for BMW’s B48 engine has been significantly improved by using 3D printing to produce water jacket – outlet combi cores. Additionally, 3D printing allows BMW to produce sand cores in one piece, reducing the complex design of engine components while optimizing the engine’s efficiency and fuel consumption. The inorganic 3D production line also significantly reduces the foundry’s emissions, as only water steam is produced during the casting process.

voxeljet’s powerful next-generation binder jetting 3D printing technology offers the highest additive productivity and throughput to meet the demands of BMW’s large-scale production needs. voxeljet’s layer-by-layer technology works by using sand and an inorganic binder. A print head selectively bonds layers of sand to create the cores, which are then unpacked, microwave cured, cleaned and inspected before being fed into BMW’s established casting process. voxeljet has been granted 1 patent and has 10 patent families with 28 patent applications across the United States, Europe, and other geographies that protect this proprietary approach.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning our business, operations and financial performance. Any statements that are not of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements by words such as ‘‘believes,’’ ‘‘estimates,’’ ‘‘anticipates,’’ ‘‘expects,’’ ‘‘plans,’’ ‘‘intends,’’ ‘‘may,’’ ‘‘could,’’ ‘‘might,’’ ‘‘will,’’ ‘‘should,’’ ‘‘aims,’’ or other similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, assumptions, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations concerning, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, business outlook, the potential application of new technology and new materials and their impact on future business, the industry in which we operate and the trends that may affect the industry or us. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this press release, we caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. All of our forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are in some cases beyond our control and that may cause our actual results to differ materially from our expectations, including those risks identified under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F and in other reports the Company files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this press release whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Friedberg, Germany, October 11th, 2023 – GE Research has selected voxeljet (NASDAQ: VJET) as its partner for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DoE) $14.9 million award in federal funding for the development and commercialization of a large sand binder jet 3D printer, called Advanced Casting Cell (ACC), to accelerate the United States’ transition to clean power. In addition to voxeljet, GE Research has also selected GE Hydro, GE Onshore Wind, GE Offshore Wind, Clemson University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and Hodge Foundry as partners on the ACC project.

The Advanced Casting Cell project was established to strengthen the U.S. manufacturing industry and expertise to boost the cost-effective domestic production of large metallic near net shape (NNS) components in alignment of the Biden Administration’s clean power-generation strategy. The ACC will be developed and deployed to produce sand molds to manufacture metallic NNS parts. With development of the ACC, the project includes the digital creation of mold designs via a digital foundry as well as the completion of a techno-economic analysis of cost and supply chain challenges.

The project aims to produce 3D-printed large scale sand molds to cast components for the nacelle of the GE Haliade-X Offshore Turbine. The nacelle, where mechanical components are housed, can weigh more than 60 metric tons. The goal is to reduce the time it takes to produce this pattern and mold, from around ten weeks to two weeks. According to Data Bridge Market Research, the global wind turbine nacelle market has estimated to be valued at $6.6 billion in 2021 and projected to be over $15 billion by 2029.

This novel manufacturing technology has the potential to reduce overall hydropower costs by 20% and lead times by four months. The project will also include the production optimization of a 16-ton rotor hub using the ACC as well as the development of a robotic welding process for the assembly of a >10-ton Francis runner. To help ensure successful implementation of ACC, an advanced manufacturing curriculum is being created for local workforce development to train and engage workers on the specifics of this 3D printing manufacturing technology.

“We’re excited to be a part of this future-driven and innovative project,” said Dr. Ingo Ederer, CEO of voxeljet. “The development and cost-efficient manufacturing of clean power-generation technologies is in high-demand because it is key to meeting and overcoming global climate challenges. We are confident that additive manufacturing, and specifically our large-scale Binder Jetting technology, is the right choice to manufacture complex parts used in these next-generation wind turbines.”

For voxeljet, this year’s GIFA was all about inorganics. In addition to the joint project ICP (Industrialization of Core Printing) with Loramendi for BMW, the Bavarian company also presented a new, patent-pending, cold-curing inorganic process technology (cold IOB). The ICP project involves a fully automated, manufacturing cell in operation at BMW’s light metal foundry in Landshut. Within this manufacturing cell, casting cores are printed with inorganic binders and then cured using a microwave. Consequently, it is a warm process technology.

The new cold IOB technology does not require a microwave and is thus characterized by lower investment and operating costs. The use of IOB technologies opens up numerous advantages for the foundry industry, e.g. only water vapor is produced during casting instead of harmful gases. This not only reduces emissions but also improves working conditions in foundries.

“The introduction of cold IOB technology is an important step towards further adoption of printed cores and molds with inorganic binders in the foundry industry,” says Dr. Ingo Ederer, CEO at voxeljet. “Our goal is to provide innovative solutions that not only increase efficiency, but also help promote the sustainability of metal casting.”

The features of the cold IOB process technology and molds and cores produced with it include high dimensional accuracy, very good detail resolution and edge sharpness, and the ability to 3D print large molds and cores. Unlike warm IOB processes, which require printed cores to be cured and dried using a microwave, voxeljet’s cold IOB technology only requires drying after printing, which takes place outside the machine. Customers thus avoid high investment and operating costs for industrial microwaves. The process can basically be used on all voxeljet platforms. It is currently being tested and offered on the VX1000 and VX1000S printers. An expansion of the offering to the VX2000 is planned soon.

The use of inorganic binder in the foundry industry, especially in the automotive sector, is gaining popularity. In view of increasing environmental regulations, demand for inorganic-bonded molds and cores is expected to rise continuously. voxeljet is committed to expanding its leading role in the field of environmentally compatible 3D printing processes and to making a significant contribution to the sales growth of the voxeljet Group through this strategic orientation.

The cold IOB technology is particularly suitable for prototyping and medium series sizes and is now commercially available. Interested customers already can order benchmarks.

After years of research and optimization, a  joint vision goes live: voxeljet and Loramendi present  their flagship project for BMW Group Plant Landshut at this year’s GIFA foundry trade fair.  As part  of our cooperation project ICP (Industrialization of Core Printing), we have developed a fully automated and integrated production  line for the inorganic large-scale production of sand cores using 3D printing.

By using 3D printing in the production of water jacket cores, the design of the cylinder head for the BMW B48 engine can be significantly improved. The inorganic process protects the environment and improves working conditions, as only steam is produced during casting. At the same time, the efficiency and consumption of the engine can be optimized due to the complex design of the component. No other technology made it possible to mass-produce such a complex element in a cost-efficient manner.  Instead of complex individual parts, BMW can now produce the core entirely in one piece using 3D printing.  The ICP production line completely automates and optimizes the once manual and tedious process. Five voxeljet VX1300-X 3D printers now produce thousands of cores fully automatically every week using the binder jetting process. These are then unpacked, hardened, cleaned and prepared for casting in unpacking stations, microwaves and cleaning cells specifically developed by Loramendi.

“The fully automated 3D production line is the standard we want to implement: for four years, we have worked hard on this project with BMW. To see the VJET X printers in full operation now is extremely exciting and a milestone not only for us but also for the entire 3D printing and automotive industry,” highlights Dr. Ingo Ederer, voxeljet founder and CEO.

The VX1300-X 3D printer is a 3D printer designed for mass additive manufacturing. A high-performance process unit enables bidirectional recoating and simultaneous printing of the build area. As a result, the VX1300-X achieves extremely short layer times and high output volumes in multi-shift and continuous operation, which makes it ideal for series production. With a fully automated post-processing cell, the complex sand cores are prepared for metal casting and integrated into the existing casting process. The tool-free construction of the sand cores enables variant changes at unparalleled speed, without any time-consuming tool changes and production downtimes.

We will be presenting further innovations at GIFA, such as a completely new type of boat propeller. For Sharrow Marine LLC in Detroit, we manufacture PMMA 3D printed models for the award-winning  Sharrow MX-1 boat propeller. This new propeller is more efficient, faster and, above all, significantly quieter than other propellers. 3D-printed PMMA models from voxeljet in combination with investment casting enable a design that pushes conventional manufacturing technologies to their limits and is only possible thanks to additive manufacturing.

As a supplier to General Motors, TEI is using the world’s largest 3D sand printer to produce cast cores for the series production of large-format, weight-saving structural components for the Cadillac CELESTIQ. By implementing 3D printing in the development and construction of the components, OEM manufacturers can realize completely new, function-optimized designs. Suppliers benefit from the fast and flexible integration of 3D printed cores into existing production lines.

TEI, an expert in highly complex castings for the engineering and manufacturing industry, has been working with voxeljet since 2018. What started with a three-year volume contract of over 500,000 liters of 3D-printed sand turned into a success story for both companies. TEI is the only company in the US to own three of voxeljet’s VX4000 3D printers, which are among the world’s largest 3D sand printers with a build volume of 4 x 2 x 1 meters. With its third VX4000, TEI has now expanded its additive manufacturing capacity to up to 2.5 million liters per year. This enables the US company to implement further technically demanding projects such as the series production of lightweight components for the underbody structure of the all-electric Cadillac CELESTIQ.

The novel underbody structure consists of six large precision sand-cast aluminum parts. In order to realize the complex structures as economically and lightly as possible, TEI uses additive manufacturing in production for all inner cores. This allows stiffening features to be incorporated into the hollow sections, which is not economically feasible with conventional manufacturing. A total of 51 additively manufactured sand cores are used in the production of each vehicle underbody. TEI prints these using the VX4000 printers, each of which prints hundreds of inner cores for several vehicle sets in just one night. After printing, the cores are smoothed, coated with a fireproof coating, placed in sand molds and finally cast using a low-pressure filling process. Each of the six castings reduces the number of parts by 30 to 40 components compared to a typical stamped construction. As each structural part has fully machined interfaces, the six castings can be assembled precisely and very tight tolerances can be maintained for assembly fabrication.

Large-format mold and core printing on the VX4000 3D printers makes production leaner and therefore faster and more economical compared to conventional manufacturing. Significantly fewer components need to be produced, which simplifies and speeds up assembly work. “By eliminating tools and taking advantage of the large build volume of the VX4000 printers, we can significantly reduce delivery times and produce lightweight components with optimized topologies. This would not be possible in the conventional way,” explains Oliver Johnson, President of TEI. In addition, 3D sand printing makes completely new designs and light weight structures possible. This results in geometrically optimized parts, which are very important for the automotive and aerospace industries. What is important for the implementation at suppliers: New function-optimized designs can be realized quickly and flexibly with the VX4000 3D printers and printed cores can be easily integrated into an existing production.

“We are pleased to have TEI as a strong partner and user of sand 3D printing in the US. The purchase of the third VX4000 printer builds on previous system installations at TEI’s corporate site in Livonia, Michigan, and enables the company to grow rapidly and deliver unique projects like this,” said Michael Dougherty, Managing Director at voxeljet America Inc. “Together, we will further establish additive manufacturing technology in industrial manufacturing and intensify our collaboration. We are proud to support the company with our unique 3D printing technology and to show once again that our printed casting technology is entering production and enabling unprecedented designs.”

As part of the research project “ULAS-E-VAN” (“UltraLeicht AufbauStruktur eines Elektrischen VANs” – UltraLightweight Body Structure of an Electric VAN), nine partners are developing lightweight solutions for the body structure and a modular battery carrier system of battery-electric powered light commercial vehicles ( commercial vehicles, class N1 – Ford Transit – BEV). Ford is coordinating the research project with a total volume of 5.8 million euros, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK). The project partners are Altair Engineering GmbH, BENTLER Automobiltechnik GmbH, C-TEC GmbH, Ford-Werke GmbH, Franken Guss GmbH + Co. KG, MORPHOTEC, RWTH Aachen University, Chair and Institute for Structural Mechanics and Lightweight Construction (SLA), RWTH Aachen University, Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika), and voxeljet AG.

If a light commercial vehicle is equipped with an electric drive, the empty weight increases due to the high battery weight and the possible payload decreases. To counteract this, it is imperative to decisively reduce the weight, especially in battery-powered delivery vehicles, through lightweight construction measures. Lightweight construction makes it possible to increase the range, but also to reduce the battery size, secondary weight and thus battery costs while keeping the range unchanged. However, in the targeted sector of e-commercial vehicles, the need for cost-effective lightweight construction is even more critical due to the high-cost sensitivity of the potential customer base and the relatively low unit numbers.

This is where the project comes in. The consortium aims to develop ultra-lightweight solutions for the body and superstructure of such battery-electric light commercial vehicles using modern CAE methods such as “simulation-driven design” and innovative manufacturing methods. In addition to a special 3D printing process – 3D sand mold printing – to produce molds for the iron casting process, large-format structural plastic parts are also used.

The design of the body structure is to be based on a frame-stringer construction, thus transferring the proven aircraft construction method to light commercial vehicle construction with higher annual production figures. The frames are to be designed as a single piece wherever possible and in a bionic-optimized manner. The outer skin will be formed by prefabricated plastic panels that are connected to the load-bearing structure. A load-bearing, ultra-lightweight, scalable and modular battery support system is to be integrated in the underbody, which will provide functional support for the body structure in terms of stiffness, fatigue strength and crash. The technologies used are expected to achieve weight savings in the order of up to 150 kg on a total vehicle level, thus enabling an increased range or payload.

Alongside the standard polymer PA12, TPU is one of the polymers increasingly in demand for 3D polymer printing. With its cushioning properties, the thermoplastic material has proven itself for decades in the production of shoe soles, it offers impact protection and is being used more and more across industries: in the plastics processing industry, in the automotive and consumer goods industry, in aerospace and in the engineering sector.

In the production of polymer components, voxeljet takes advantage of the special material properties of TPU in conjunction with the HSS technology: TPU can be very soft and elastic or very hard and persistent. These properties can be specifically influenced in all three dimensions using HSS technology. In High Speed Sintering, a fine layer of polymer powder is applied onto a heated build platform and the areas where the part is to be built are then inked with a heat-absorbing ink. Infrared light is used to fuse the printed areas of the polymer powder, leaving unprinted material loose. Layer by layer, the polymer is applied, printed, and irradiated until the build-up of the full jobbox and the parts within it, is complete. How soft or solid the part is depending on the volume of infrared-absorbing ink introduced. The more heavily a build area is inked, the stronger the part. By using industrial inkjet print heads, it is possible to print correspondingly different gray levels within a layer and thus realize different product properties per layer. In addition to this grayscale printing, the strength of a component can also be influenced by its geometry. Lattice structures with different wall thicknesses are used to print geometries that can be adapted to individual load profiles in order to save additional material.

“The HSS technology in combination with the TPU material allows us to provide an inherently hard, highly stressable part with soft properties. This opens up completely new and highly individual application possibilities of 3D printing for plastic parts,” says Tobias Grün, Global Product Manager at voxeljet. TPU components produced with the HSS printing process have particularly long-lasting permanent elasticity and excellent rebound properties compared to other TPU 3D printing processes. The successfully passed Cytotoxicity test also confirms that there is no damage to cells and tissue when the material comes into contact with the skin. In addition, no discoloration of the components occurs. “With the HSS process, we can produce individualized polymer parts on-demand at high quality and speed at comparatively low cost. High Speed Sintering is an economical, efficient and resource-saving solution due to the use of large-format print heads. The technology offers enormous potential for future-oriented products,” says Tobias Grün.

The TPU qualified for the HSS technology was co-developed by voxeljet and materials manufacturer Covestro. “The close cooperation between material and machine manufacturers enabled us to bundle our joint know-how and thus coordinate and optimize the part quality as well as the 3D printing process.” says Grün. With the collaboration, the two companies aim to develop integrated material and process solutions for the economical additive high-volume production of polymer components.

To the extent this document contains forward-looking statements, such statements are not statements of fact and are made using words such as “expect”, “believe”, “estimate”, “intend”, “strive”, “assume” and similar expressions. These statements are an expression of the intentions, views or current expectations and assumptions of voxeljet AG and are based on current plans, estimates and forecasts made by voxeljet AG on the basis of its best knowledge, but do not constitute any statement with respect to their future accuracy. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. voxeljet AG cannot provide assurances that the matters described in this press release will be successfully completed or that voxeljet AG will realize the anticipated benefits of any transaction. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which are usually difficult to predict and ordinarily not in the domain of influence of voxeljet AG. These risks and other factors are discussed in more detail in the company’s public filings with the SEC. It should be noted that actual events or developments could materially differ from the events and developments described or included in the forward-looking statements. Statements made herein are as of the date hereof and should not be relied upon as of any subsequent date. The company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as may be required by law.

The sale-leaseback transaction involving the Company’s 135,380 square foot facility in Friedberg, Germany, was entered into with an institutional, unaffiliated real estate investor, and is subject to regulatory approvals in the Federal Republic of Germany. The leaseback of the facility provides for a fifteen-year lease commitment with two consecutive five-year extension option periods.

The Friedberg facility serves as voxeljet’s headquarters as well as its center of excellence for research, development and production of the Company’s 3D printing systems.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning our business, operations and financial performance. Any statements that are not of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements by words such as ‘‘believes,’’ ‘‘estimates,’’ ‘‘anticipates,’’ ‘‘expects,’’ ‘‘projects,’’ ‘‘plans,’’ ‘‘intends,’’ ‘‘may,’’ ‘‘could,’’ ‘‘might,’’ ‘‘will,’’ ‘‘should,’’ ‘‘aims,’’ or other similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, assumptions, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations concerning, among other things, the projected timing and successful completion of the sale-leaseback transaction, our results of operations, financial condition and business outlook, the industry in which we operate and the trends that may affect the industry or us. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this press release, we caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. All of our forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are in some cases beyond our control and that may cause our actual results to differ materially from our expectations, including those risks identified under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F and in other reports the Company files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this press release whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

The process is the perfect combination of two established production methods. A roll-bonded core (RoBoC) is inflated on one or both sides with approx. 100 bar compressed air to create cooling channels of the usual dimensions. This core is placed in a permanent mold and aluminum is cast around it. During the casting process, temperature is controlled from the inside through the existing channels so that deformation or melting is prevented. The result is a metal sheet integrated into the housing with the structures required for cooling the E-machine.

The cooling channel layout can be represented in a helical shape. Thus, the hottest channel section is embedded between the coldest and second coldest channel sections. The result is a homogeneous temperature distribution without a hot spot during engine operation. This design cannot be represented in the classic 2-shell design (e.g. in die casting), since there would be a thermal short circuit due to overflow from one channel section to the other. Depending on the customer’s requirements, however, meander-shaped or flat duct layouts can also be realized. Sealing against cooling water leakage is ensured by means of the self-contained roll bond core and is therefore no longer dependent on the casting quality. An expensive helium leakage test on the finished part, which can result in a very high loss of added value, is no longer necessary. Assembly, as required with the 2-shell design, is completely eliminated.

AionaCast has provided proof of concept by means of “proof of concept”. Little attention was paid to the cross-sections for the cooling medium and weight reduction. Now the team is working on Generation 2, where the inserted and inflated sheet is in direct contact with the stator, which again increases efficiency and reduces weight.

This concept makes it possible to reduce the wall thickness between the stator and the water-bearing channel from about 5 to as little as 1.5 mm. This reduction in wall thickness is also reflected in the overall weight of the electric motor housing for a typical BEV traction motor, which is reduced by approximately 1 kg.

Furthermore, the response time from the interaction of the optimizations is significantly reduced. To present the performance of the system, a CFD simulation of an existing traction motor from a major OEM was compared to the RoBoC Gen2 development. The time for the temperature reduction from 60° to 40°C in the stator could be reduced by about 70%. A pleasant side effect is also the significantly reduced casting process time, where the time to component removal from the casting mold can be significantly reduced due to direct cooling of the aluminum casting from the inside.

• The helix design and the smaller distance between stator and cooling medium results in higher thermal efficiency.
• The tightness of the cooling water channel is independent of the casting quality. Due to the concept, seals are completely eliminated and there is no residual dirt problem due to the absence of core sand. This makes this innovation more reliable than conventional systems.
• To list just a few cost advantages, such as the elimination of assembly (2-shell design), the lack of a sand core eliminates the need for reworking and capping of the core marks, several quality tests are no longer required, and the non-negligible shorter casting cycle makes the invention competitive.

For further development (prototypes), the patent holder AionaCast, which is also responsible for project management, was able to win well-known partners for the modification of a Bosch series housing:

• Kupral S.p.A. (Italy) / casting technology
• voxeljet AG (Germany) / 3D-printed molds for core package
• LPM S.p.A. (Italy): Foundry equipment
• Peter Prinzing GmbH (Germany): Roll-bond bending

In view of approximately 75 million traction electric motors to be produced from 2030, Jürgen Pohl sees further business development for this new manufacturing process as extremely positive. Furthermore, the same manufacturing concept with modified cooling channel layout (e.g. meander-shaped, flat or parallel channels) also offers potential for the production of battery and power electronics housings, he said.

The VX200 HSS from voxeljet is designed as an open source 3D printing system and provides full access to process parameters and temperature management to best match the additive manufacturing process and material. The HSS Material Network offers customers a flexible and low-risk outsourcing option for material development of additive manufacturing technologies. The addition of the competencies of the HSS Material Network partners enables companies of all sizes to receive unique support, from an initial suitability assessment, through specific development and parameterization, to certification or market-ready qualification of the material. Here we present our partners, projects and proof of concepts.

The iglidur® i3 material is a plastic powder specially developed by igus® GmbH for the production of gliding applications and gears for the additive processes of Powder Bed Fusion of Polymer (PBF-P), such as laser sintering (LS). It is used to manufacture components with a wide variety of applications, for example as special sliders in passenger cars, as gear wheels in e-bikes and even as sliders in elevators.

The special feature of iglidur® i3 PL is the additivation of the powder with solid lubricants, whereby the components manufactured from it achieve a wear resistance that is better by a factor of 3 to 30 than components manufactured from plastic powders otherwise available on the market. For this purpose, a large number of different formulations were tested and developed in the igus laboratory in Cologne. In addition, the service life of iglidur® i3 gears and plain bearings has become calculable online due to the large number of tests. Customers can thus check the properties of the components in advance for their performance and service life in order to make any design adjustments before the final production.

Due to its print head technology, the HSS has the potential for a significantly more economical production than the LS. Moreover, thanks to its open-source conception, HSS has the possibility to specifically adjust component properties on the process side, and thus offers great potential for many applications of the components made of iglidur® i3.

In addition to the high abrasion resistance, iglidur® i3 also stands out as a very good gear material. In numerous tests, the good suitability as gear material could be proven and confirmed by igus. Many times better than gears made of PA12 and PA11 in LS and even better by a factor of 5 than conventionally manufactured gears made of POM.

The iglidur® i3 material has already been available for the PBF-P since 2016. By means of LS, more than 400,000 components have already been manufactured with it. The plain bearings and gears manufactured by the project group Process Innovation of the Fraunhofer IPA and the Chair of Environmentally Friendly Production Technology of the University of Bayreuth within the scope of the proof of concept in HSS exhibit very good mechanical properties, which make a further optimization of the material to the HSS process up to a full qualification quite interesting.

igus is one of the recognized experts when it comes to polymers for sliding applications. 3D printing is not a novelty for the company. For example, the iglidur® i3 PL material was already qualified for laser sintering processes in 2016 and over 400,000 components have been manufactured with it to date. By means of HSS, the material can be processed even more economically. The reason for this is the high productivity and reproducibility of the HSS process.