Mitsubishi to Enter North American 3D-Printer Market with Hybrid 3D Printer for Manufacturing

Last week, Mitsubishi of Japan announced that it would be entering the North American 3D printer market with what it’s calling a hybrid 3D printer, the LUMEX Avance-25. Made by Matsuura, and beginning January 1, 2014, the printer, which is designed for manufacturing applications, will be distributed by Mitsubishi in the United States and Canada by Mitsubishi, which will in turn sell the printer through MC Machinery Systems, which is a locally incorporated company of Mitsubishi.

Mitsubishi says it chose MC Machinery Systems to distribute the printer because MC already has customers in the die and mold industry for which the printer is targeted. It says it also hopes the printer will be used in applications in the aircraft-manufacturing industry for making light-weight parts, and in the medical industry for making light-weight bones and implants. Its initial sales target for the year is 10 printers.

The LUMEX Avance-25 features one-process manufacturing of complex parts and molds by combining metal laser sintering (3D SLS) technology with high-speed milling technology – a complex process involving both additive and subtractive 3D printing. The result, says Mitsubishi, is much more accurate 3D-printed objects, reducing manufacturing time, and manufacturing costs.