Desktop Metal adds three new metals, C18150, Ti6Al4V and 304L
March 16, 2023
Desktop Metal, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, has qualified a further three metals for use in its Binder Jet Additive Manufacturing machines. With the availability of copper alloy C18150 and titanium alloy Ti6Al4V on Production System™ and 304L stainless steel on the Shop System™, Desktop Metal now offers its customers a total of twenty-three metals.
In collaboration with Detroit-based TriTech Titanium Parts LLC, Ti6Al4V has been customer-qualified for use on Desktop Metal’s Production System. Binder Jetting of Ti6Al4V is said to simplify the production of complex titanium parts, which can be challenging and expensive to fabricate using traditional manufacturing methods.
TriTech Titanium Parts LLC, which is ISO 9001:2015 certified, uses Metal Injection Moulding (MIM), investment casting, and now, Binder Jetting AM on the Desktop Metal Production System P-1 to produce titanium parts. The company is a spin-off of AmeriTi Manufacturing Co., which was founded in 1984 and sold last year to Kymera International.
In collaboration with Sandvik Additive Manufacturing, a leading producer of gas atomised metal powders, copper alloy C18150 has also been qualified. Chromium zirconium copper offers a combination of strength, conductivity, and corrosion resistance that makes it suitable for a wide range of industrial and commercial applications, including applications in the automotive industry.
Sandvik Osprey developed and provided C18150 powder that routinely delivered as-sintered densities of 98-99% when produced on the P-1, allowing the company to deliver component designs targeted for high-volume production after additional development.
In partnership with CETIM, the French technical centre for mechanical industries and one of the largest industrial research organisations in Europe, 304L stainless steel has also been qualified for use on the Desktop Metal Shop System. 304L complements the suite of stainless steel materials now qualified on the Shop System, which also includes 17-4PH and 316L.
304L is an austenitic stainless steel and one of the most commonly used varieties of stainless steels. With high tensile strength, corrosion resistance and durability, it’s a popular material for a wide variety of home and commercial applications such as structural components, food processing equipment, fluid transfer components, and welded components.
“304L is one of the many Additive Manufacturing materials that CETIM is studying and developing processes for on behalf of French industry,” stated Christophe Reynaud, PhD, Additive Manufacturing Material Engineer at CETIM. “304L is a key material in the energy sector due to its corrosion resistance, suited for highly demanding environments such as civil nuclear applications. Coupled with the high versatility and responsiveness of the Shop System, it is now possible to considerably reduce the lead-time for critical 304L maintenance parts, avoiding long and expensive downtimes in the factory.”
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