ValCUN to unveil Minerva printer at Formnext 2023

ValCUN, an innovator in metal additive manufacturing (AM), will unveil its new solutions for metal 3D printing at the upcoming Formnext fair in Frankfurt. The full range of products shown by ValCUN will include the Minerva Printer and the Minerva Print Head, as well as a range of printed parts.

The Belgian company will introduce its Minerva Printer (we anticipated some details in this VM Podcast episode a few months ago). It is expected to offer higher deployability, sustainability and cost-effective metal printing than most processes currently on the market. The system utilizes ValCUN’s proprietary Molten Metal Deposition (MMD) technology.

Jonas Galle, Co-Founder and CEO of ValCUN, is excited about the event: “The Minerva Printer, the Minerva Print Head and our beautiful printed parts are the highlight of our innovation journey. We are committed to delivering cost-effective, deployable, environmentally friendly metal printing solutions and we invite Formnext 2023 attendees to visit our booth, witness these disruptive innovations firsthand and explore their transformative potential for various industries.”

Another hardware product, that will also be presented at the show, is the Minerva Print Head, which was developed to enhance the user’s flexibility and freedom to operate. The printhead can be implemented on robotic arms, gantry systems, in production facilities or in-line with other fabrication technologies.

Molten Metal Deposition (MMD) Technology achieves single-step metal deposition, which is akin to Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) but with low-temperature metals. This well-known process employs readily available off-the-shelf metal wire as feedstock, ensuring user-friendly operation and rapid implementation.

The Minerva Printer and the Minerva Print Head are currently focusing on Aluminum, a highly sought-after metal by industry that is currently under-served by existing AM processes. The nature of the process also enables the printing of high-strength aluminum alloys, such as the 6XXX series and the 7XXX series.

MMD promises a more sustainable process, via higher energy efficiency, reduced waste and elimination of the need for toxic chemicals or powders. Because of its straightforward post-processing (no need for de-binding, sintering, powder removal or HIP), MMD also offers reductions in time-to-part.

ValCUN’s team will be at Formnext 2023 to demonstrate the Minerva Printer and Minerva Print Head and to provide additional information on use cases and applications for this technology.