CRP Invests In New Machines That Can Produce Composite Parts

The company has invested in new technology in additive manufacturing and CNC machining.

CRP Group (Modena, Italy) has invested in new machines for additive manufacturing and CNC machining. The company's CRP Technology, with its Windform family of high-performance composite materials, has recently enlarged the production facility by purchasing RICOH AM S5500p, the laser sintering system for additive manufacturing of functional prototypes and end-use parts by RICOH.

RICOH AM S5500P is a multi-material 3D printer with large modeling area (550x550x500 mm) that enables the manufacture of many components at once, such as parts for functional tests as well as the parts for end products which can be used in a range of industries such as aerospace, automotive and medical.

Since the RICOH can manufacture a wide range of high performing materials for SLS, CRP Technology will use all of its Windform family of high-performance composite materials, especially the microfiber reinforced ones: Windform LX 2.0, a polyamide-based material reinforced with a new generation glass fiber system and Windform GT, a polyamide-based glass microfiber reinforced composite material.

“We are the first in Italy to have a multi-material 3D printer with large modeling area,” says Franco Cevolini, CEO of CRP Group “It allows us to make the most of the range of materials available to us, including our Windform family of high-performance composite materials.”

In addition, the company's CRP Meccanica’s CNC machining department is now supported by a new, machining center by GF Machining Solutions: Mikron HPM 800U milling machine.

This is particularly well-suited to customer segments, which produce high-quality but also voluminous and complex mold making and production parts economically and with precision. Due to its stable construction and directly driven circular and swiveling axes, the Mikron HPM 800U can be used for anything from heavy roughing work to precise finishing work, which makes it suited for carbon fiber-reinforced parts.

Mikron HPM 800U milling machine has been designed in view of automated pallet handling; it has also been built for speed, accuracy and reliability. The machine optimizes the milling process, which improves the process safety and the quality of the workpiece in an unmanned operation.