Hurco to demonstrate 3D print head adapter for CNC machines at IMTS
Owners of Hurco vertical machining centers will have the ability to transform their WinMax part programs to a 3D printed rapid prototype directly on their CNC machine using an optional spindle-powered wireless accessory Hurco will unveil at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS). The 3D Print Head which extrudes plastic PLA filament will be exhibited at the Hurco booth and at the Additive Conference.
“The new Hurco 3D Print Head takes commercial desktop 3D printing technology to the next level allowing users to take full advantage of the size of the machining center. The portable accessory is powered and controlled by spindle rotation, so there are no wires to install, and it can easily be moved to other Hurco machining centers within a shop,” said Greg Volovic, President of Hurco Companies, Inc.
“We’ve designed this product to make it easy for people who have no solid modeling experience. Hurco’s WinMax programming environment is the most versatile on the market today with our powerful conversational programming that is known for its user-friendly and intuitive user interface and the control’s support of standard M&G code programming. With this release, we’ve added support for additive manufacturing to the control,” said Volovic.
“The Hurco control’s WinMax software gives users powerful graphics tools to develop even the most complex 3D shapes quickly and efficiently with conversational programming. Once you program the part, simply select the WinMax 3D Print button to start the build process on the Hurco CNC machine. Alternately, you can send the model to a commercial 3D printer,” said Fred Gross, engineering manager at Hurco.
“So many of our customers are true innovators and I know this product is going to accelerate their prototyping process. They will be able to turn their ideas into reality quickly and efficiently without ever making a chip,” said Volovic.
