Additive industry has been a part of what is called the «Fourth Industrial Revolution». The constant rise in costs of raw materials and the need to create ever more complex structures have created the need to search for alternatives when making parts in a «subtractive» manner or by milling.
Since the beginnings of the additive industry, and by looking forward at the needs of its customers, Fagor Automations has the strategic goal of being at the forefront. It has invested in its R&D departments, created partnerships with Technological Centers and companies to develop special applications and to control variables used during this process (temperatures, material inputs, speeds, etc.). This has allowed us to be the only CNC manufacturer to be at FORMNEXT, the industry’s most prominent trade fair in the world, held in Frankfurt, Germany.
Since this is an industry undergoing constant developments, there is some concern about the models or types of machines that the market will require in the medium term, even though «hybrid» machines are the reason behind the investment of many well-renowned companies that utilize different technologies (LMD, SLM, WAAM, etc.). This is why Fagor Automation’s CNC experience with systems that use various cutting and material removal manufacturing processes and additive manufacturing capabilities make us the perfect partner in the sector.
The Additive Manufacturing Pack for the Fagor 8065 CNC is the most open system on the market, which can intelligently control and optimize manufacturing processes. Fagor CNCs can be easily configured for multitasking machines, which is often the case for most additive machines in the industry. Despite all the advantages of additive technology, an optimal surface quality has not yet been achieved for parts and this is the reason why many machines must incorporate milling technologies. After completing the additive process, in order to obtain the perfect part, the Fagor CNC will finish the piece using high-speed and continuous 5-axis machining algorithms.
Among the multiple functionalities incorporated in the Fagor additive pack, what stands out is its open system and multi-process support, technological tables for manufacturing process variable management, laser power control (analog or PWM) and closed loop process control.
Over the upcoming years, subtractive and additive technologies will coexist as complementary processes for most applications. Fagor Automation is prepared to provide solutions to both technologies, either separately or for a combination of both.