Page 20 - 3D Metal Printing Magazine Winter 2022

3D Formnext 2021
material production.”
6K recently announced creation of the
Battery Center of Excellence that will accommodate 10 UniMelt systems to sup- port full-scale development of materials for fast charging and other uses. 6K’s Addi- tive division also recently completed its Global Manufacturing facility, adding 45,000 sq. ft. of lights-out powder-pro- duction capabilities for tungsten, Ti64, Ni718/625 and stainless steel 316L/17-4. 6K Additive: www.6kinc.com/6k-additive
More Metal Alloys Available for ExOne Binder Jetting, Including 6061 Aluminum
Binder jet 3D printing has become a viable option for volume production of metal-alloy parts, according to ExOne officials, commenting on the company’s ability to 3D print standard metal injec- tion molding (MIM) powders into fully dense parts. ExOne’s systems reportedly now can print more than 20 metal alloys, including 316L, 17-4PH and M2 tool steel.
And, most recently, a development project with ExOne and Ford Motor Co. has resulted in a process for rapid and reliable binder jet 3D printing and sin- tering of 6061 aluminum that delivers properties comparable to die casting. Col- laborative and individual patents are expected to be filed by Ford and ExOne as a result of this ongoing project.
Until now, some aluminum alloys could be 3D printed using lasers, but the process reportedly is slower than the one devel- oped by Ford and ExOne. The new process is expected to increase Ford’s efficiency by allowing the company to affordably produce complex parts uniquely designed for AM, which enables size and weight reductions, part consolidation, and per- formance improvements.
ExOne final part density now is 97 per- cent, in line with MIM and better than investment castings, report company offi- cials, with infiltration no longer required for high density. This technology com- monly achieves a weight reduction of 30 to 50 percent for parts redesigned for binder jetting. Other reported binder jet-
ting benefits: sustainability, with less than 10-percent waste; and lower capital and operating costs than other AM processes. ExOne: www.exone.com
Holo Now Offering Copper, Other Alloys for Its Fine-Feature Metal-AM Process
Holo has announced the availability of copper, stainless steels and other metal alloys for component production via its PureForm MicroAM process. The AM process reportedly can produce parts with features less than 50 μm, enabling a range of applications including electrical com- ponents, jewelry, and medical and dental devices.
PureForm MicroAM, according to Holo officials, already has provided part solu- tions for the electronics industry, produc- ing fine-featured micro-inductor coils, built with 400-μm strands, and for the high-end custom jewelry market. Other successful AM applications include stain- less-steel biopsy scoops used in medical applications with sharp-point features down to 20 μm, and dental abutments
with printed functional threads that hold a 200-μm pitch.
PureForm MicroAM involves the high- definition lithographic printing of Pure- Form materials such as those described above, as metal-polymer slurries. The result: densely packed metallic particles in a polymer matrix, with the particles debounded, followed by sintering to pro- duce final parts.
Holo: www.holoam.com
Software
Spare Parts 3D Software Identifies, Catalogs and Routes Inventory Parts for AM
Spare Parts 3D showcased its DigiPart software, designed to apply AM to com- panies’ parts inventories without time- and labor-intensive internal work. The software helps users by reducing spare- part inventories, minimum-order quan- tities, lead time and obsolescence, accord- ing to Christian Darquier, Spare Parts 3D vice president of sales, Europe and Amer- icas, who explained to 3D Metal Printing
18 | 3D METAL PRINTING • WINTER 2022
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