Thanks to its unique multi-laser principle, the TruPrint 5000 3D printer achieves outstanding times – also in series manufacturing // CTO Peter Leibinger sees potential revenues of half a billion euros in a timescale of five to seven years
The high technology company TRUMPF presented the world’s fastest and most productive medium-format 3D printing system at the formnext trade fair in Frankfurt. TruPrint 5000 works according to a so-called multi-laser principle with three beam sources and is equipped with optics specially designed by TRUMPF. In combination with the exposure strategies developed by TRUMPF and the optimally adjusted process parameters, the TruPrint 5000 cuts exposure time per job by a factor of three. Based on Laser Metal Fusion (LMF) manufacturing technology, the system uses laser power to generate complex metallic components layer by layer in the powder bed.
Drawing on many years of development work in additive manufacturing, TRUMPF helped the technology make its breakthrough: “All our new 3D printers are selling well, and we’re gaining increasing market shares in various sectors. Accordingly, we will most definitely be further investing in this highly promising field,” says Peter Leibinger, Chief Technology Officer at TRUMPF. This includes the establishment of a new development unit in Aachen. “As a seedbed for technologies of the future and with its proximity to RWTH Aachen University and the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology, Aachen is an ideal location to further develop our additive manufacturing technologies,” says Leibinger.
Additional revenue of half a billion euros
TRUMPF now employs over 200 people in the field of additive manufacturing. It is also one of the few manufacturers to offer the second manufacturing technique relevant for industrial 3D metal printing in addition to LMF – namely, Laser Metal Deposition (LMD). “If the market for 3D printers continues to develop in line with current indications, then we see an opportunity for our company to achieve additional revenues of half a billion euros in a timescale of five to seven years. We want to gain a leading role in the market and secure a market share of around 20 percent in the medium term,” says Leibinger.
TRUMPF manufactures not only the machines and systems required for 3D printing and the corresponding laser beam sources along with all the optical components, but also possesses the requisite technological, process and digitalization expertise in house. “We are the only provider anywhere in the world to combine all these competencies under the one roof. As such, we are a one-stop shop for our customers,” says Leibinger, before citing another important competitive advantage offered by TRUMPF: the company’s worldwide service network.
