Desktop Metal Debuts S-Max Flex Robotic System

Desktop Metal is launching the ExOne S-Max Flex scalable, large-format binder jetting system that 3D prints sand tooling. It has application in foundries that would use it to quickly cast complex metal designs for the aerospace, automotive, and energy industries. 

ExOne is a digital sand printing solution provider for foundries. The new S-Max Flex combines ExOne’s sand printing expertise in process and materials with Desktop Metal SPJ technology in an architecture to deliver new value to foundries.

“To achieve our vision of Additive Manufacturing 2.0, we need to make production 3D printing practical in terms of speed, cost and material availability for a broad range of applications,” says Ric Fulop, co-founder and CEO of Desktop Metal. “We designed the all-new S-Max Flex from the ground up leveraging SPJ technology with the idea of making premium sand 3D printing accessible to every foundry, so that more companies can take advantage of the benefits of AM 2.0, such as distributed, local production and remain competitive for the long term.”

Details of the S-Max Flex 

The S-Max Flex pairs an industrial robot with an end effector printhead design that deposits binder into a 1900x1000x1000 mm (74x39x39-in.) telescoping build box that grows as the parts are built layer by layer. Additional build box sizes are available up to 4700x1000x1000 mm (185x39x39-in.), with taller versions available up to 1000x2500x2400 mm (39x98x94-in.).

Desktop Metal’s high-throughput SPJ technology delivers a build rate up to 115 l/h, which offers foundries quick production to operate more efficiently, as well as a faster return on investment. The S-Max Flex joins the S-Max and S-Max Pro solutions that are used in foundries worldwide.

The S-Max Flex prints standard silica sand with furan binders and delivers final parts with dimensional accuracy of +/- 0.5 mm. The system comes with several accessories and safety features that are configurable to fit a variety of spaces. 

Infiltrated sand tooling for plastic thermoforming, composite layup, and sacrificial tooling applications are printed today on S-Max machines, along with infiltrated sand consumer products. Desktop Metal’s Forust brand, which upcycles byproducts of the wood waste stream into consumer designs, will also leverage the new system to print large form factor wood parts at scale cost-effectively. Additional projects are underway printing reclaimed concrete and other materials.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.

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