CIM UPC, well-known for creating new technologies, such as the IDEX technology for FFF printers or concrete 3D printers, has announced a new hybrid 3D Printer called PowerDIW.
The PowerDIW is a fully configurable experimental 3D Printer, focused on researchers that need a very flexible and capable Direct Ink Writing (DIW) 3D Printer. DIW is an additive manufacturing technology commonly used for manufacturing ceramic or metal green parts or any bioprintable material. PowerDIW 3Dprinter is designed for research groups in the fields of metallurgy, fuel cells, composites, advanced ceramics and tissue engineering, as well as for a wide range of research fields where Additive Manufacturing is a disruptive new player, being able to bring into play huge extrusion force if demanded.
The all brand new PowerDIW features two DIW printheads with a genuine lifting mechanism. While the first printhead is working, the second one actually gets lifted up out of the way, thus avoiding dragging the wrong material through the print. Both printheads offer a high pressure that can reach forces up to 850N, something that typical home-made syringe-based systems wouldn’t deliver. The material is processed in standard BD syringes – enclosed in an armored casing – that are easy to clean and set up thanks to a quick change system.
The PowerDIW can be customized by adding different features such as infrared and ultraviolet light, or integrate other AM technologies such as Fused Filament Fabrication, DLP or Pellet Extrusion. Moreover, the printer can be equipped with a closed enclosure with temperature and humidity control.
Laura Calvo, Project Director of CIM UPC, says “The PowerDIW features are the result of more than several dozens of custom 3D printers that CIM UPC developed during the last 8 years, and it is possible to add other features to the machine according to our customers’ needs”.
The new machine will be presented on Thursday 29 September in an event where three research groups will explain how they are carrying out their R&D activities thanks to the PowerDIW 3D printer:
- BBT – UPC Barcelona Tech (Biomaterials, Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering Research Group): 3D printing of complex structures with ceramic, polymer and metal inks for biomedical applications.
- AIMPLAS (Plastics Technology Center): Hybrid additive manufacturing for 3D printed sensors in the field of Soft Robotics.
- CIEFMA – UPC Barcelona Tech (Center for Structural Integrity, Reliability and Micromechanics of Materials): Additive manufacturing of monolith using Direct Ink Writing for catalytic applications in the energy sector.
According to Roger Uceda, Technology Transfer Director of CIM UPC, “We are very excited to introduce the PowerDIW to the market. Direct Ink Writing is a very interesting technology to develop new 3D printing materials and applications because it only needs a small amount of material to work, and this is the reason so many researchers are demanding a machine like the PowerDIW as a disruptive tool to their workflow”
For more information about CIM UPC, please visit cimupc.org.
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