The Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC) will be the first service provider in the UK to take delivery of DyeMansion’s Powerfuse S – a state-of-the-art, eco-friendly industrial vapour polishing system. Integral to the DMC’s polymer part finishing, the system was acquired through Laser Lines, DyeMansion’s UK Platinum Reseller, and has now been officially commissioned by DyeMansion engineers.
The Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC) will be the first service provider in the UK to take delivery of DyeMansion’s Powerfuse S – a state-of-the-art, eco-friendly industrial vapour polishing system. Integral to the DMC’s polymer part finishing, the system was acquired through Laser Lines, DyeMansion’s UK Platinum Reseller, and has now been officially commissioned by DyeMansion engineers.
With its industry-leading capability, the Powerfuse S will significantly improve the DMC’s polymer surface finishing, delivering sealed and washable parts with injection moulding-like surfaces. As one of the first facilities to adopt this system, the DMC’s engineers will be working closely with DyeMansion to maximise its potential and investigate new materials and applications.
DyeMansion’s VaporFuse Surfacing (VFS) minimises surface roughness by flooding the machine’s entire vacuum chamber with vapour. The result is a highly reproducible process that works for complex geometries and internal surfaces for all common plastics.
The system uses DyeMansion’s bespoke VaporFuse Eco Fluid – an environmentally-friendly solvent – to process plastics in accordance with food contact regulation (EU) 10/2011. Circulated continuously and recovered by the system, the fluid allows the Powerfuse S to operate in a closed loop as a contact-free process without chemical waste or the requirement for users to wear protective equipment.
Aligning closely with the DMC’s vision of a connected, Industry 4.0-ready AM production facility, the Powerfuse S offers fully automatic loading, connectivity and batch tracking. Specialised programs have been developed and validated for all common materials to make the Powerfuse S ‘plug and play’, while all process parameters can be tailored to suit additional materials. This provides flexibility and seamless integration with the DMC’s other production processes.
With the addition of the Powerfuse S, the DMC has also become the first AM production facility to utilise DyeMansion’s complete reference architecture. Consisting of a Stratasys H350 with four DyeMansion systems – Powershot C, Powershot S, Powerfuse S and DM60 – the suite of equipment will allow AM providers from across the UK to see first-hand how DyeMansion’s systems work together and integrate with Stratasys Selective Absorption Fusion (SAF) systems.
The Powerfuse S will be available for DMC customer applications from the 1st December 2021.
Kieron Salter, CEO of the DMC, commented: “We are very excited to be further developing our partnership with DyeMansion – the industry leader in polymer AM finishing and colouring solutions. Thanks to Laser Lines, the addition of a Powerfuse S to the DMC will greatly improve the surface quality of our polymer parts, allowing us to meet growing customer demand for high-specification, end-use ready components. Not only is it straightforward and easy to use, but the Powerfuse S also adheres to important sustainability and safety criteria.
“As we look to promote the wider viability and maturity of AM, our ability to act as a production-focused Stratasys and DyeMansion reference site helps to establish the DMC as a global leader. We look forward to building upon our relationship with DyeMansion as we realise the full potential of commercial-scale, connected additive manufacturing.”
Kai Witter, Chief Customer Officer at DyeMansion, commented: “We are delighted that the DMC, one of the leading and most powerful Service Providers in the AM industry, has decided to complement their DyeMansion print to product workflow with the Powerfuse S. With this extension of their industrial finishing capabilities, their customers have access to the full suite of DyeMansion workflow solutions.
“The DMC is truly paving the way for additive as a standard serial manufacturing technology. We look forward to driving the transformation of manufacturing with such strong partners. We are aligned and committed to supporting the DMC’s vision for a connected, Industry 4.0-ready AM production facility.”
Headquartered at Silverstone Park and a member of the Silverstone Technology Cluster, the DMC is realising the disruptive potential of additive and connected manufacturing. Providing serial production parts and technology solutions, the DMC was created by leading engineering company KW Special Projects and made possible through significant investment from the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP).
ENDS
For more information, please contact Jim Hadfield at Prova on 01926 776900, or email dmc@provapr.co.uk. Additionally, if you are interested in interviewing Kieron Salter, CEO of the DMC, please get in touch.
