Continuum’s sustainable metal powder certified for Velo3D Additive Manufacturing machines
March 13, 2024
Continuum Powders, based in Los Gatos, California, USA, has announced that the company is the first 100% recycled metal powder provider to have an alloy qualified for use in Velo3D’s Sapphire family of Additive Manufacturing machines. The partnership gives Velo3D’s customers a sustainable powder alternative that is said to deliver the same high-quality, spherical metal powder it sources today, whilst contributing significantly to their decarbonisation and sustainability programmes.
Following a rigorous process administered by Velo3D and its contract manufacturer Knust-Godwin, Continuum Powders’ OptiPowder 718 was qualified for use in Velo3D’s Sapphire family of printers. The result underlines that the powder produced and supplied by Continuum Powders meets all material property requirements that are achieved with conventional powders in the same alloy, when using specified parameters.
OptiPowder 718, based on Ni 718 alloy, is often found in structural parts that encounter extreme operating temperatures and corrosive environments. It reportedly has an exceptional combination of strength, hardness, and corrosion resistance. The properties of OptiPowder 718 are said to make the material attractive for aerospace applications, like turbomachinery, valves, heat exchangers, and other mission-critical parts. The material is also beneficially applied in industrial gas turbines, liquid-propelled rocket motors and combustion chambers, fuel cells such as solid oxide fuel cells and downhole/undersea tubing and tools for oil & gas.
“For customers who are sustainability-minded, or have company objectives to reduce their carbon footprint, utilising metal powders that are sourced through carbon-neutral means can streamline their adoption of Additive Manufacturing technology,” stated Zach Detweiler, Velo3D vice president of technology. “We’re pleased to offer Continuum as a powder option and have validated that OptiPowder 718 delivers the performance and quality customers require from their powder while also meeting their decarbonisation and sustainability goals.”
“Velo3D’s endorsement of OptiPowder as the first sustainable metal powder for Sapphire printers highlights the significant benefits Continuum brings to the market. We didn’t just want to raise the bar, we wanted to recreate the bar from the ground up to make sustainability core to the Additive Manufacturing process,” shared Phil Ward, chief executive officer of Continuum Powders. “Providing Velo3D’s customers with the first truly viable decarbonisation option is a game changer for Additive Manufacturing — and the collaboration between Knust-Godwin, Velo3D and Continuum Powders is just the beginning.”
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