Elmet adopts 3D Systems metal AM for hypersonic parts
3D Systems Corporation, Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA, has announced that Elmet Technologies, a subsidiary of Elmet Group, based in Lewiston, Maine, USA, is deploying the DMP Flex 350 Triple Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) metal Additive Manufacturing machine for the rapid production of advanced aerospace parts for hypersonic vehicles. Using the high-performance C103 alloy, Elmet expects to qualify and certify the machine before beginning production later in 2026.
Elmet Technologies has worked with 3D Systems’ Application Innovation Group (AIG) for the past eight years, a team of expert engineers who consult with, guide and assist customers with advanced development of processes and materials. As part of this work, the team developed processing parameters for C103 material specifically for this deployment. C103 is a niobium-based alloy composed primarily of niobium with hafnium and titanium, designed for extreme high-temperature and aerospace applications.
“We collaborated with AIG on the parameter sets for the C103 material,” said Scott Ohm, R&D Manager, Elmet Technologies. “The work was done on an earlier 3D Systems metal 3D printer and we expect that prior research work will make it very easy to begin production on the DMP Flex 350 Triple.”
The DMP Flex 350 Triple supports a 350 x 350 x 350 mm build size, with three lasers for greater productivity. A best-in-class low oxygen environment maintains <25 ppm oxygen, typically ~0-6 ppm oxygen. This low oxygen (and other interstitial elements) environment allows for exceptional powder reuse rates along with tight control of metal chemistry and superior surface finishes.
“This machine, material and process should achieve qualification within a couple of months,” Ohm shared. “We anticipate NASA 6030 certification a few months after that. This is very fast and indicative of the quality of this entire solution, as well as confirmation of the sound business case for collaboration with 3D Systems’ Aerospace and Defense experts to streamline the qualification and certification process.”
Metal AM from 3D Systems is intended to enable the design and manufacture of higher performance heat transfer structures that are accurate, complex, and leak-tight with less assembly, shorter lead times, reduced costs, higher yield, and better component reliability than legacy processes like brazing. The use of PBF-LB reduces reliance on extended supply chains and helps protect intellectual property while delivering components that cannot be produced using traditional methods including thin walls, increased surface-to-volume ratios and maximal heat transfer with acceptable pressure drop.
Mike Shepard, Vice President of Aerospace & Defense, 3D Systems, stated, “This collaboration with Elmet is a standout example of using metal Additive Manufacturing to create new advantages in aerospace design and production. The low oxygen architecture of our DMP series metal additive machines is ideal for manufacture of complex components from highly reactive metals, like C103 and other refractory alloys.”
By integrating in-house materials with 3D Systems’ DMP Flex 350 Triple, Elmet is aiming to strengthen its supply chain for the US defence industrial base, enabling fast, tool-free localised production of advanced aerospace parts.
