Page 19 - 3D Metal Printing Magazine Winter 2022

Formnext 2021 3D
process has been modified and optimized to reach properties consistent with metal injection molding standards. By alterna- tively applying quenching and subsequent tempering treatment in an as-sintered state, tensile properties may be tuned toward application requirements. Digital Metal AB: www.digitalmetal.tech
Optomec Adds Aluminum to Metal 3D Printing Recipes
Optomec Inc. reports the addition of 7000-series aluminum to the list of qual- ified alloys for use in its Lens 3D DED metal printers. This aluminum series proves popular in industrial and aero- space segments, as it possesses high strength, leading to use in high-stress parts such as aircraft landing-gear com- ponents. This new alloy capability is enabled by Optomec’s latest laser-optics technology—now standard in all of the company’s Lens DED printers—that allows the size and profile of the laser- heated region to be remotely adjusted for a particular alloy.
Optomec offers qualified process recipes for a range of common alloys, and available for a range of print scenarios, including thin-walled, high-resolution and bulk deposit versions as “starter recipes,” or Optomec can develop part- specific production recipes for specific end-user geometries upon request. Fur- ther, Optomec reports the development of print libraries that include print geom- etry for specific common Lens applica- tions, such as turbine-blade repair. Optomec Inc.: www.optomec.com
GE Additives’ AP&C to Provide Ti Powders to Airbus
AP&C, a GE Additive company, announced a new agreement where the company will provide titanium powders
(Ti-6AI-4V) to Airbus
for use in metal-
AM applications.
The multiyear agreement to pro-
vide Ti-6AI-4V pow-
ders deepens AP&C’s workingrelationshipwith Airbus, which dates back sev- eral years.
AP&C: www.advancedpowders.com
Pure Copper Qualified for Desktop Metal Binder Jetting
Desktop Metal announced qualifica- tion of pure copper (>95 percent) for AM on its Production System platform. With its excellent thermal and electrical con- ductivity, commercially pure copper is an ideal material for applications requiring heat or electricity transfer, such as cold plates, pucks and manifolds, heat sinks, heat exchangers, and bus bars used in power-intensive electrical applications. The Production System platform leverages Desktop Metal’s Single Pass Jetting (SPJ) technology, designed to achieve rapid build speeds, with the copper qualification enabling users to produce high-perfor- mance parts at scale.
“Copper has been a highly requested material from many of our customers and prospects, and has applications spanning a broad variety of industries, from thermal hardware found in air and liquid cooling systems to conformally cooled coils for transmission of high-frequency currents,” explains Jonah Myerberg, Desktop Metal co-founder and chief technology officer.
Manufacturers now can print copper parts on the Production System with sig- nificant geometric complexity in a single step instead of brazing multiple conven- tionally produced copper components together, eliminating a time-intensive and expensive process prone to error and waste, according to company officials.
Also, Desktop Metal and Uniformity Labs have partnered to qualify and deliver ultra-low-porosity binder jetting powders that exhibit exceptional sintered part den- sity and mechanical properties when
paired with Desktop Metal’s AM 2.0 binder jetting solutions, according to officials from both compa-
nies. Unifor-
mity Labs
reportedly has developed patented materials technology that uniquely enables powders with tap densities to 85 percent that sinter to full density and are significantly more flowable than pow- ders of comparable size. These materials offer the ability to repeatably spread uni- formly across the print bed at the highest relative density, thereby delivering the highest attainable sintered part density with the lowest achievable part shrink in binder jetting, claim Uniformity Labs offi- cials. The reported result: high-precision parts exhibiting excellent material prop-
erties and surface finish.
Desktop Metal: www.desktopmetal.com Uniformity Labs: www.uniformitylabs.com
6K Awarded for Environmentally Friendly Powder Production via UniMelt Process
6K announced that its UniMelt plasma production system received a Top Product of the Year Award from Environment + Energy Leader magazine. The selection recognizes 6K’s ability to produce and deliver AM and energy-storage powders in an environmentally friendly way com- pared to existing powder production tech- nologies serving these markets.
“UniMelt’s unique ability to leverage scrap material as a feedstock and turn it into high-value powder is just one exam- ple of our clean production approach,” says Bruce Bradshaw, 6K chief marketing officer, while expressing the company’s gratitude for the award. “UniMelt’s envi- ronmentally friendly process lowers greenhouse gases, uses significantly less energy and produces zero wastewater, creating a pathway to a circular or sus- tainable economy with performance
3DMPmag.com
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