Desktop Metal develops and qualifies high strength DM HH Stainless Steel for Production System
January 12, 2022
Desktop Metal, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, reports that it has developed and qualified DM HH Stainless Steel (DM HH-SS) for use on the Production System™ platform, which utilises the company’s Single Pass Jetting™ (SPJ), a form of Binder Jetting (BJT) technology.
DM HH-SS is a custom, heat treatable-alloy that combines the tensile strength, ductility, and corrosion resistance of 13-8 PH stainless steel with hardness comparable to low-alloy steels, such as 4140. These attributes make DM HH-SS well suited to companies looking to eliminate the use of low-alloy steels, which require a subsequent plating step for applications needing corrosion protection. DM HH-SS is also a good material for conformally cooled injection tool core and cavity applications, where millions of injection strokes per year are required.
Customers can now additively manufacture DM HH-SS components at scale across a range of industries where high strength and hardness are required, including oil & gas, automotive, consumer products, and medical devices. With the addition of this new alloy, the Production System can now build ten qualified metal materials.
“Our materials science team is working diligently to develop innovative materials that meet the demanding applications needs of our customers in a cost-effective way,” stated Jonah Myerberg, co-founder and CTO of Desktop Metal. “DM HH-SS is a compelling alternative to 17-4 PH stainless steel that improves upon its mechanical properties while maintaining corrosion resistance, making it suitable for critical components that previously required the use of low-alloy steels for their high hardness and strength. The Production System allows customers to go to market at scale with this material and eliminate operations, such as plating, which can create supply chain complexity and also be harmful to the environment.”
One application highlighted by the company is the Additive Manufacturing of a tight clearance offset socket. Offset sockets used for manufacturing tooling are critical parts in scenarios where space is limited and a traditional tool is unable to access a bolt. Manufacturers have traditionally warehoused and maintained a large variety of tools to accommodate the multiple socket sizes produced for each unique bolt size. With the Production System, manufacturers can, instead, maintain a digital warehouse of each socket size and build large quantities of different sizes together in a single build, enabling on-demand manufacturing.
DM HH-SS is said to be the ideal material for high-wear components such as these sockets, which are subjected to repeated abrasive use and expected to have a long lifetime, making high strength and hardness, as well as corrosion, resistance critical.
