Renishaw RenAM 500M — Technical data

The RenAM 500M opened the RenAM 500 series in 2016 and was Renishaw's first machine designed consistently for series production. A 500 W ytterbium fibre laser with dynamic focusing exposes a build volume of 250 × 250 × 350 mm. New compared with the AM250 and AM400 was the automatic powder circuit: ultrasonic in-line sieve, return of the powder under argon to the supply silo, and a twin SafeChange filter that switches over by itself when saturated. Each machine is intended for a single material in lights-out operation; it is operated via a 19-inch touchscreen. It has since been discontinued; today's counterpart is the RenAM 500S.

Because the 500M is designed for one material, buyers should know exactly which powder was last processed – changing it means thoroughly cleaning the entire circuit. Further points to check are laser hours, the condition of sieve and filters, the tightness of the powder conveying system and the electrical supply at the installation site. For a discontinued machine, software version, possible upgrades and spare parts support from Renishaw also matter.