“High temperature laser sintering is a 3D printing process that is growing in popularity for making strong plastic production parts,” said Paramount CEO Jim Williams. “As early adopters, our goal is to integrate this technology across all industries so manufacturers can benefit from the unique advantages additive manufacturing technologies can offer.”
The EOSINT P 800 can process temperatures up to 385 °C (725 °F), which enables the laser sintering process of engineered polymers like PAEK. “The P 800’s elevated processing temperatures and range of high-performance engineered polymers are critical components necessary for the growth of this industry and complementary to our ongoing laser sintering R&D effort and direct part manufacturing operations,” said Williams.
The company qualified the process through an extensive U.S. Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) R&D effort, integrating laser-sintering technology and materials science into a robust manufacturing solution package to deliver complex parts for military weapon systems. Paramount is successfully moving into SBIR Phase III, transitioning this high temperature laser -sintering process to production with unfilled PAEKs and carbon-fiber-reinforced PAEKs.