Matsuura now represent Desktop Metal in the UK. Anyone who knows CNC in the UK, knows the name Matsuura is synonymous with hand crafted, high quality, automated CNC machine tools.
We understand metal. We also understand additive manufacturing for metal 3D printing, amassing years of experience with our revolutionary LUMEX hybrid machine series.
Who better than Matsuura to deliver the benefits of Desktop Metal 3D metal printing to your bottom line, & explain and demonstrate the advantages it can bring to CNC businesses looking to diversify their market offering to include 3D metal printing?
Our Additive Manufacturing Centre at our state of the art Leicestershire HQ is considered to be a UK centre of excellence for 3D printing applications, material science and technology, with machines from Desktop Metal on show and under power ready to demonstrate.
Desktop Metal
HP Multi-Jet Fusion 5200
Mass Production 3D Printer - delivering fully functional & operational components within 24 hours.
HP Multi-Jet Fusion 4200
Reinvent how you prototype and produce functional parts — delivering quality output, up to 10 times faster at half the cost
Shop System™
The world’s first metal binder jetting system designed to bring metal 3D printing to machine shops.
Who are Desktop Metal?
Desktop Metal was founded in 2015 by leaders in advanced manufacturing, metallurgy, and robotics, to address the unmet challenges of speed, cost, and quality to make 3D printing an essential tool for engineers and manufacturers around the world.
With solutions for every stage of the manufacturing process - from prototyping and pilot runs to mass production and aftermarket parts - Desktop Metal is reinventing the way engineering teams produce metal and composite parts across a wide range of applications and industries.
Why choose Matsuura to support your business in 3D metal printing in the United Kingdom?
For nearly 4 decades, Matsuura has supplied UK CNC machining companies with proven CNC machining technology. We know metal. We define CNC machining in the modern manufacturing era. We also know additive manufacturing and 3D printing for metal component applications - our revolutionary LUMEX 3D metal printing, laser sintering and CNC machining hybrid machine tool & 3D printer is the worlds first truly "hybrid" additive and subtractive manufacturing production platform. Our Applications Deparmtent is staffed by some of the most innovative engineers in the UK, with a combined wealth of many decades of real world engineering experience in every known manufacturing sector. Matsuura UK don't just sell you a machine, we deliver a proven profitable process into your business and support you and your staff through the transition period to full production and profitability. Every machine we sell we support from our Leicestershire HQ - be that in spares, applications, service or technical support. Desktop Metal is a key technology in our portfolio of high quality additive manufacturing products.
What is 3D metal printing?
3D printing with metal is a collective term for several interlinked sets of technologies. Simply stated, any technology that creates metal objects layer by layer with sintering, melting and welding could be called metal 3D printing.
What are the advantages of metal 3D printing
CNC machining, casting, forging etc can produce some remarkable components and products that make the modern world possible, but designers can be limited by traditio0nal routes to manufacturing a component or a product. With 3D printed, complex internal geometries are possible, where as with conventional CNC machining for instance there would be no tool access to create these complex features within a component. This is one huge advantage for 3D printing; it can create what subtractive process simply cannot.
Main 3D metal printing technologies & materials
Among the materials available are a wide variety of metal alloys, including maraging steel, aluminum AlSi10Mg, cobalt chromium, Inconel 625 and titanium Ti6Al4V. Available materials for Desktop Metal 3D metal printers include; Ti64, Copper, 4140, H13, 316L Stainless Steel, 17-4 PH Stainless Steel.
DMLS Applications / 3D Printing
DMLS or Direct Metal Laser Sintering is one of the most popular methods of metal 3D printing. It utilises a laser for sintering metal powder, layer by layer, and forming an object. The DMLS process is used for prototyping and manufacturing finished mechanical parts. It can be used for making parts with holes and cavities, undercuts and draft angles. Among them are medical devices and instruments, functional prototypes, fast iteration design changes and tools.
SLM Applications / 3D Printing
Components, parts and objects manufactured with SLM technology are quite durable and can be used for mechanical parts in high wear applications such as gears and propellers. Medical, automotive and aerospace industries often use SLM to manufacture their parts. SLM or Selective Laser Melting, melts the material. 3D printing happens in an inert gas environment. SLM 3D printing has parameters close to those produced by casting. SLM is mainly used for manufacturing parts from titanium and aluminum.
EBM Applications / 3D Printing
EBM or Electron Beam Melting is similar to SLM, but instead of a laser an electron beam is used. This technology is considered to be faster and more precise than laser-based 3D metal printing. The end result is usually stronger in comparison with other methods of printing. This technology is used mainly for manufacturing objects from titanium and cobalt. Aerospace components and parts for aero engines.
SLS Applications / 3D Printing
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is very similar to DMLS; it also uses a laser for sintering a powder material. It has been used for creating components in a wide range of materials, including metal, but nowadays this technology is mainly associated with sintering plastics; nylon and polyamide. The sintering temperature that is used in SLS printers is usually less than 400 °F.
Binder Jetting / 3D Printing
Binder Jetting, as its name suggests, binds powder material with a special carrier liquid. To make the object more solid, it can be cured with hot isostatic pressing. The 3D print becomes much stronger, but at the same time, the cost also goes up. Binder Jetting is usually used for manufacturing geometrically complex,large-scale prototypes. This technology is several times cheaper than DMLS/SLM/EBM. Nevertheless, accuracy and strength are not as good as other methods of production, and for best results, additional and in some cases intensive and expensive post-processing is required.
Laser Metal Deposition / 3D Printing
Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) is a technology that can be compared to fused deposition modeling, but instead of extruding melted plastic, heated metal is deposited layer by layer to create the object. The speed of manufacturing is significantly faster in comparison to other methods, and different mixed materials can be applied for producing the object, including steel alloys. LMD is used in aerospace, automotive and medical industries.
