Pushing the boundaries of what is possible, Exentis Additive Screen Printing Technology is setting new standards in additive manufacturing. This innovative method enables the large-scale production of millions of components with complex geometries that were previously not possible to produce. With a wide range of printable materials, the technology can be used both in industry and for cleanroom applications, for example, in the pharmaceutical industry. Discover in this blog how Exentis’ 3D screen-printing technology operates and the benefits it delivers.
Innovative Precision: The Exentis Additive Screen-Printing Technology explained
Exentis’ additive screen-printing technology (also called 3D screen printing) expands the classic, proven screen printing into the third dimension, enabling additive manufacturing of complex components. The material is applied in paste form with a squeegee, layer by layer through a screen, onto a workpiece carrier until the parts reach the desired height. This is a material-saving process because the paste layer is applied only to the parts. The area between the parts on the screen consist of non-permeable fabric, holding back excess paste. After the printing process, no material needs to be removed, and the green bodies on the workpiece carrier are finished.
The layer application is controlled by an automated optical quality assurance system. The layer thickness can range between 10 – 150 micrometers depending on the requirements of the parts and the material used. Depending on part size, hundreds of parts can be produced simultaneously. This highly automated process has a cycle time of just two to eight seconds, achieving a print volume of 5,000 to 10,000 cm³ per hour.
3D screen printing technology: enabling the manufacturing of micro-precise parts
3D screen-printing is the perfect technology to manufacture a wide range of applications across various industries. It is ideal for high-precision industrial components up to 400 mm in diameter, ultra-fine details, and high quantities ranging from several thousand to over five million parts per year on a single production system. Flat components with minimal changes along the Z-axis are especially well-suited, as the shape is defined by the screen used. For example (see pictures below): Micro filters, tiny ceramic feedthroughs, bipolar plates, stator and rotor sheets and many more.
In the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, Exentis’ additive manufacturing technology allows the processing of active pharmaceutical ingredients and biomaterials. The printing process for these applications occurs in a GMP cleanroom environment, meeting the highest hygiene standards. More than 200 million tablets can be printed on one single production system annually.
Benefits: mass production, micro-precision, wide range of materials and more
Exentis additive screen printing technology offers numerous benefits to manufacture industrial parts:
- Industrial Large-Scale Production: A single production system can manufacture over five million parts annually, depending on size and complexity
- Micro Precision: Features like channel widths from 125 μm, wall thicknesses from 75 μm, and surface roughness levels of 2 μm provide unmatched precision in additive manufacturing
- Optimized Geometries: Hollow structures and parts with integrated functions such as cooling structures can be produced in one single step
- Free Choice of Materials: Printing ceramics, metals, and polymers; multiple materials can be combined in one part. Exentis’ material experts develop printable pastes for extraordinary materials tailored to specific requirements if needed, such as various porosities or materials like graphite
- No Powder, Pastes: No tedious depowdering process as only the necessary material paste is applied through the screen, ensuring that green bodies are ready for further processing with no powder residue, a critical advantage for parts with fine channels
- Low Production Costs: After sintering, no reworking is required as high surface quality is achieved during the printing process
- Flexibility in Production: Changeover to manufacture a different part is accomplished in minutes by replacing the screen. New screens are available within 48 hours, eliminating the need for expensive tools and long delivery times as in injection molding. Due to the pastes, the production system is not contaminated with powder dust and the processing of another material can start in minutes.
The Production Systems for Industrial Applications
Exentis production systems for additive screen printing are modular and flexibly configurable to meet varying demands. The following basic configurations are available for additive manufacturing of industrial components:
The EX432i provides a highly automated solution for larger production volumes. This system is equipped with a printing module and a dual track drying and transport system capable of processing up to 40 workpiece carriers simultaneously. After the printing process, each workpiece carrier automatically passes through the drying system and returns to the printing module for the next component layer. This automation allows the system to produce impressive quantities of five million parts or more per year.
The smaller EX431 is equipped with a print module and an integrated circulating air drying unit. It is intended to manufacture parts for medium-sized series or a few thousands, on a single workpiece carrier. This production system can produce around one million parts per year, making it perfect for developing new parts.
Advantages of the Additive Screen-Printing Technology for Pharmaceutical Applications (cleanroom manufacturing)
The Exentis 3D screen-printing technology offers unique advantages in the pharmaceutical sector as well:
- Material Diversity: Processing of active pharmaceutical ingredients, organic materials, and biomaterials on a single production system.
- Multi-Material Printing: Combination of various materials within one application, depending on the production system and the number of printing towers, e.g., for flexible release profiles in tablets
- Flexible Tablet Design: Fully customizable design, defined by the screen used, with new screens available in 48 hours.
- No Powder Dust and Easy retooling: Thanks to the use of pastes for printing, the production system is not contaminated with powder dust, allowing it to switch to process another material within minutes.
- Eco-Friendly Cold Printing Technology: Low energy consumption.
The Production Systems for Cleanroom Applications
The Production systems for processing pharmaceutical active ingredients or biomaterials are designed for operation in cleanroom class D/ISO 8 and features GAMP5-compliant software systems. These systems can be customized to specific GMP criteria upon request. The 3d printing process operates identically to other production systems but takes place in a cleanroom environment.
Our modularly constructed production systems EX434 iflex GMP and EX432 iflex GMP offer maximum flexibility with 2–6 units, each consisting of a printing module and a dryer. These units are connected by a shuttle-based tablet transport system, allowing different active pharmaceutical ingredients or fillers to be processed on each printing module and combined at will. This enables the production of tablets with freely selectable drug release profiles in a fully automated process. The production volume is more than 250 million tablets per year on the EX434 iflex GMP production system.
For the process development and additive manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, we recommend our Exentis 3D development and production system EX431 GMP. This system is equipped with a printing module, an integrated circulating air drying unit, and a combined positioning system for quality assurance and loading/unloading of tablet carriers. Thanks to the use of pastes, there is no contamination with powder, the system can be switched to process another active ingredient within hours (not days), making it ideally suited to produce clinical trial materials and tablets for studies.
Conclusion: Innovative Possibilities with Exentis Additive Screen-Printing Technology
Exentis additive screen-printing technology enables the production of entirely new applications that cannot be produced using conventional methods. With its many advantages, Exentis Industrialized Additive Manufacturing Technology positions itself as a game-changing solution in the field of additive manufacturing.
Take advantage of these innovative approaches to enhance your manufacturing options. Contact us to learn more and transform your manufacturing with our additive screen printing technology.