Ricoh exhibits its Metal Additive Manufacturing technology at Formnext 2021

Ricoh’s proprietary solution will harness the company’s leading inkjet printhead expertise to produce aluminum parts in complex shape at speed and, most importantly, in a stable manner.

TOKYO, November 10, 2021 – Ricoh Company, Ltd. and Ricoh UK Products Ltd. will exhibit a new metal binder jet* technology at this year’s Formnext event (Organizer: Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH), held at Frankfurt, Germany from Nov. 16 to 19, 2021. The technology, developed to support aluminum alloy, is intended to realize the ambition of end-use metal parts production using 3D printing.
Aluminum alloys are already widely used for metal parts. The proprietary Ricoh solution has been developed to create a controlled production environment, with the unique capability to produce aluminum parts in intricate shapes and narrow tubes. This will improve energy use efficiency by reducing part weight and improving heat dissipation.

Formnext is the leading global trade fair for manufacturing and processing technologies related to additive manufacturing and the next generation of intelligent industrial production. The exhibition will bring together technologies, products and services from around the world, including industrial 3D printing, as adoption ramps up across a wide range of fields such as automotive, aerospace, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and healthcare.

Through co-creation activities with our customers, Ricoh will develop a metal 3D printing technology that can produce innovative aluminum parts. This will allow the production of end-use metal parts that can replace heat dissipating components.

*Binder jet method: The inkjet head injects a liquid bonding agent to solidify the powder layer by layer.

Example of metal parts formed by metal 3D printer