Continuum’s sustainable metal powder certified for Velo3D Additive Manufacturing machines

MaterialsNews
March 13, 2024

March 13, 2024

Continuum Powders has announced that its 100% recycled OptiPowder 718 metal powder has been qualified for use in Velo3D’s Sapphire family (courtesy Continuum)
Continuum Powders has announced that its 100% recycled OptiPowder 718 metal powder has been qualified for use in Velo3D’s Sapphire family (courtesy Continuum)

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.

THE WORLD OF METAL AM TO YOUR INBOX
Subscribe to our twice-weekly newsletter
Register now

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.”

www.continuumpowders.com

velo3d.com

MaterialsNews
March 13, 2024

In the latest issue of Metal AM magazine

Download PDF
 

Extensive AM industry news coverage, as well as the following exclusive deep-dive articles:

  • Aluminium Additive Manufacturing: How a new generation of alloys will fuel industry growth
  • Shaping a national Additive Manufacturing ecosystem: The strategic growth of metal AM in Türkiye
  • How metal Additive Manufacturing is transforming modern hydraulic systems
  • High-performance product development in the era of computational design: a case study with nTop and NASA
  • The Additive Manufacturing of record-breaking pure copper heatsinks for high-performance computing applications
  • The Additive Manufacturing of tool steels: how non-linear modelling enables precise hardness control

Join 40,000+ other AM professionals – follow us online

Don’t miss a thing – register for our newsletter

Don't miss any new issue of Metal AM magazine, and get the latest industry news. Sign up to our twice weekly newsletter.

Register now

Looking for AM machines, metal powders or part manufacturing services?

Discover suppliers of these and more in our comprehensive advertisers’ index and buyer’s guide, available in the back of Metal AM magazine.

  • AM machines
  • Process monitoring & calibration
  • Heat treatment & sintering
  • HIP systems & services
  • Pre- & post-processing technology
  • Powders, powder production and analysis
  • Part manufacturers
  • Consulting, training & market data
Find suppliers

About Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine

Metal AM magazine, published quarterly in digital and print formats, is read by a rapidly expanding international audience.

Our audience includes component manufacturers, end-users, materials and equipment suppliers, analysts, researchers and more.

In addition to providing extensive industry news coverage, Metal AM magazine is known for exclusive, in-depth articles and technical reports.

Our focus is the entire metal AM process from design to application.

Each issue is available as an easy-to-navigate digital edition and a high-quality print publication.

Discover our magazine archive…

The free to access Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine archive offers unparalleled insight into the world of metal Additive Manufacturing from a commercial and technological perspective through:

  • Reports on visits to leading metal AM part manufacturers and industry suppliers
  • Articles on technology and application trends
  • Information on materials developments
  • Reviews of key technical presentations from the international conference circuit
  • International industry news

All past issues are available to download as free PDFs or view in your browser.

Browse the archive

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap