St. Paul, MN (March 2, 2020) — Matsuura USA will exhibit the LUMEX Avance-25 metal laser sintering hybrid milling machine in Booth #531 at AMERIMOLD, June 10-11, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, MI.
The Matsuura LUMEX Avance-25 metal laser sintering hybrid milling machine is a powder bed metal AM platform with subtractive machining capability. The machine combines selective laser sintering (SLS) along with high speed milling (HSM) commonly called Hybrid AM.
The Avance-25 relies on ‘one-machine, one-process’ manufacturing of complex molds and parts by fusing metal laser sintering technology with high speed milling technology. The Hybrid technology creates a “finished” part with machined surface finish and accuracy, without inducing the additional variation caused by multiple machine set-ups and part handling.
The Avance-25 achieves the highest accuracy in part fabrication since metal powders are melted and sintered via laser, while surfaces are precisely milled at high speeds. 3D cooling channels can be incorporated into molds in the single setup, thereby increasing cooling efficiency and enabling high-cycle injection molding with better than ever quality and precision, reducing costs and improving efficiency.
“This technology allows the ability to ‘grow’ a metal component in layers with complex internal features and fine mill those internal features, as the layers are added, to give a perfect surface finish are what makes the LUMEX Series such a distinctive, unique and remarkable production platform and machine tool,” explained Thomas Houle, Director, LUMEX NA.
Hybrid Metal Additive Manufacturing and machining is an extremely effective method of creating conformal cooled injection mold tool inserts. Matsuura’s hybrid technology is a proven solution for moldmakers. In most cases, the proper implementation of the hybrid technology in a mold component will eliminate the need for EDM. This in and of itself is a large time saver in the mold build process. Many components can be completely machined in the hybrid machine, there is an elimination of queue times to get other work completed on a component, typically reducing overall mold build time.
The Matsuura LUMEX Avance-25 can process parts and molds up to 256 mm x 256 mm x 185 mm with an option allowing processing of 256 mm × 256 mm × 300 mm. The Matsuura LUMEX Avance-25 serves predominantly the high value, high accuracy mold and die market. Dies and molds with very complex geometries can be fabricated in one piece with high accuracy, shortening lead time and reducing manufacturing costs to a half or even a third of conventional methods.
In addition to AMERIMOLD, appointments may also be made at Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc.’s LUMEX Additive Manufacturing Facility in St. Paul, MN. Located in the company’s 38,000-square-foot headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, the facility houses LUMEX Avance-25 and LUMEX Avance-60 machines available for demonstration.
Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc., located in St. Paul, MN is the U.S. subsidiary of Matsuura Machinery Corporation in Japan. Since 1935, Matsuura has been the forerunner in designing innovative technology and manufacturing solutions to a variety of industries around the globe. Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. delivers unmatched excellence in 5-axis, vertical, horizontal, linear motor, multi-tasking CNC machine tools and machines with a powder bed metal AM platform with machining capability. Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. provides the service, applications and technical field support that have always been the Matsuura standard for business. For more information on Matsuura products, contact: [email protected].