AddUp and Uniformity Labs collaborate on Ti64 Grade 23 production
May 11, 2022
AddUp Solutions, headquartered in Cébazat, France, and Uniformity Labs, Fremont, California, USA, are working together to maximise the productivity of Uniformity’s Ti64 Grade 23 titanium alloy using AddUp’s FormUp 350 Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing machine. The move is anticipated to lead to a partnership targeting regulated healthcare and aerospace production using its metal Additive Manufacturing technologies.
“We’re excited about the potential of this collaboration,” stated Adam Hopkins, CEO, Uniformity. “The advanced features of the FormUp 350 and the optimised material properties of our ultralow porosity Ti64 Grade 23 powder produce the highest quality printed alloy ideal for medical and other high-performance applications such as aerospace and energy. Ti64 is the starting point as we will look to verify other materials on the FormUp350 platform with AddUp.”
The partnership’s goal is to jointly market Uniformity Ti64 Grade 23 as an advanced material option on the FormUp 350 to the combined customer base of AddUp and Uniformity.
“Uniformity Lab’s metal powders combined with AddUp’s unique roller demonstrate the ability to unlock applications where demanding surface finish and mechanical requirements combined with high levels of productivity are critical,” added Rush LaSelle, CEO of AddUp.
“Initial testing of Ti64 Grade 23 on the FormUp350 exhibited increased machine productivity, helping our customers to justify applications which to date may have been out of reach. Our engineering teams continue to collaborate in qualifying Ti64 Grade 23 medical applications and have already begun planning for additional materials to more broadly serve AddUp customers in healthcare and other high-value markets,” continued LaSelle.
Launched in 2021, the FormUp 350 Additive Manufacturing machine is modular and scalable to provide high productivity. The open platform system, with over 160 accessible parameters, has up to four 500W lasers and a bidirectional coating system. The FormUp includes an autonomous powder module, powder storage, machine feeding and unfused powder recovering and sieving, allowing operators to work with zero contact with the powder.
AddUp’s roller technology reportedly offers high density of the powder bed, allowing improved surface finish, extreme unsupported overhangs, and a fine feature resolution. This, coupled with a complete monitoring solution, provides quality assurances after each build.
