Arburg’s Freeformer nabs Red Dot Award

Injection molding machine manufacturer Arburg Inc. has won a Red Dot Award for its Freeformer additive manufacturing system.

Lossburg, Germany-based Arburg introduced the Freeformer at the K 2013 show in Düsseldorf, Germany.

“Arburg has taken a new look at additive manufacturing from the perspective of a machine constructor and has invested all its expertise in the preparation and processing of plastics into the development of the Freeformer and Arburg Plastic Freeforming,” Arburg said in a statement.

“All that the Freeformer requires are a mains socket, 3D CAD data and standard granulate. As with injection molding, the plastic granulate is first melted in a plasticising cylinder. A special nozzle then applies the droplets layer-by-layer onto a component carrier with three or five axes by means of high-frequency piezo technology.”

The Red Dot Design Award is an international product design prize awarded by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany. There are prize categories for product design, design agencies, and design concepts. The latest Red Dot Awards were given out on July 7 in Essen. The Freeformer emerged as the winner out of 4,815 entries from 53 countries, and is the first product from Arburg to win the design prize.