Desktop Metal’s P-50 Metal 3D Printer for Mass Production

Photo Credit: Desktop Metal

Desktop Metal developed its P-50 metal 3D printer is designed to meet the challenges of speed, quality and cost. The printer is designed to mass produce high-performance metal parts with repeatability.

With a build box of 490 × 380 × 260 mm (19.2″ × 15″ × 10.2″) and the ability to achieve speeds up to 100 times those of prior powder bed fusion additive manufacturing technologies, the bidirectional, area-wide printing of the P-50 enables production quantities of up to millions of parts per year at costs competitive with conventional mass production techniques, according to the company. 

The 3D printing platform is said to support a materials library that includes 10 qualified metal alloys, including commercially pure copper and stainless steels like 17-4PH. Additional metal alloys are currently in active development. Desktop Metal credits the P-50’s repeatability to the printer’s anti-ballistics technology, print bar redundancy and live optical print bed inspection