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Matsuura Machinery says its Lumex Avance lights-out metal 3D printers produce highly accurate parts from metal powders that are melted and sintered via a laser while surfaces are precisely milled.

The company says the hybrid metal 3D printer enables the ability to “grow” and fine mill a metal component in layers with complex internal features as the layers are added, such as conformal cooling and integrated porous venting — in most cases, eliminating the need for EDM. This is said to typically reduces overall build time and ensures a highly suitable surface finish. Added conformal cooling can also improve cycle times as much as 50% and mold gas venting can be optimized, the company says.

The solution is said to enable quick-turn prototyping producing a wide range of parts and low- to mid-volume runs. Products and shapes that were said to be previously impossible to manufacture (including ultradeep ribs, 3D mesh, hollows, free-form surfaces and porous structures) can now be manufactured via the Lumex platform.