Desktop Metal set to introduce new digital sheet metal forming technology with Figur G15 at IMTS 2022

Parts on the G15 have a high-quality surface finish with little to no post processing required.

by Oliver Johnson

8 September 2022

09:56

Desktop Metal

Desktop Metal announced on September 7 the launch of the Figur G15, a new commercial platform that shapes standard sheet metal on demand directly from a digital design file using new, patent-pending digital sheet forming (DSF) technology, with no stamping tools, moulds, dies or presses required.

The Figur G15 will be on display at IMTS 2022 in Chicago, with live demonstrations planned every morning and afternoon in Desktop Metal Booth 432212.

Digital cutting tools are commonly used in the sheet metal forming and fabrication industry, but no turnkey digital sheet forming solutions have been widely commercialised. Most solutions require custom forming tools, moulds or dies, which usually have long lead times and are expensive to produce.

The 'breakthrough' Figur DSF technology is created with the aim of maintaining high precision with a flexible, incremental forming approach through a proprietary build box design that reduces force distribution across the sheet during the build. With this solution, Desktop Metal hopes to eliminate high startup costs and long lead times to unlock the benefits of digitisation for sheet metal manufacturers.

The company hopes that with this, sheet metal manufacturers will improve their business agility and make sheet metal forming accessible to new applications across a range of volumes.

"After years of development, we’re excited to show our Digital Sheet Forming technology to sheet metal fabricators," said Ric Fulop, Founder and CEO of Desktop Metal. "Sheet metal forming with the Figur G15 is accessible, flexible, and cost-effective, even at low volumes. Manufacturers in the automotive, aerospace, appliance and other industries can now produce a fully formed part in less than an hour without a major investment of time or money."

Desktop Metal

The Figur G15 features a software-driven ceramic toolhead on an XY gantry that progressively forms large metal sheets layer by layer with up to 2,000 lbs of force.

The 1450 x 1000 mm forming area allows the Figur G15 to process positive and negative forms up to 400 mm in the vertical Z direction. A variety of metals and thicknesses can also be processed, including steel up to 2 mm thick and aluminium up to 2.5 mm.

Desktop Metal also recently expanded the lineup for its metal binder jet system with the Shop System+ and Shop System Pro.

by Oliver Johnson

8 September 2022

09:56

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