MATSUURA USA WILL SHOWCASE THE MATSUURA LUMEX AVANCE-25 METAL LASER SINTERING HYBRID MILLING MACHINE AT AMERIMOLD 2019 AND HOST AN IN-BOOTH DEMO WITH MOLDMAKING TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE

St. Paul, MN — (March 22, 2019) Matsuura USA will exhibit the Matsuura LUMEX Avance-25 metal laser sintering hybrid milling machine in Booth #623 at AMERIMOLD in the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, June 12-13, 2019.

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.

Matsuura USA was also selected to host an In-Booth demo with Custom Mold & Design (CMD) to demonstrate the Avance -25. On June 13th at 9:15 AM. The demonstration is titled, ‘One Machine, One Process.’

Tom Houle, Director, LUMEX NA, and Lester Jones, Vice President, Custom Mold & Design are the designated speakers.

According to Houle, Matsuura’s Hybrid additive/subtractive machining produces highly accurate parts from metal powders that are melted and sintered using a laser while surfaces are precisely milled at high speeds. 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.

He explains that the 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.

Houle believes the benefit to the owner of the mold is clear: improved cycle times, sometimes as much as 50 percent using conformal cooling, and improved part yields and initial part quality by utilizing the variable porosity capabilities of the powder bed fusion process to assist in the venting of mold gases in the flow front.

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].