EOS, Phillips Federal and Austal USA develop new copper-nickel CuNi30 alloy for Additive Manufacturing
February 19, 2024
EOS GmbH, located in Krailling, Germany, has announced the development and commercial availability of its new EOS CopperAlloy CuNi30 powder, a copper-nickel alloy engineered specifically for Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing. The copper-nickel alloy was created in partnership with Phillips Federal and Austal USA.
EOS CopperAlloy CuNi30 is said to deliver excellent performance and material properties with a combination of high strength and ductility, around 510 MPa UTS and more than 20% elongation. The material achieves high corrosion resistance in salt water and sustained performance in low temperatures. With these mechanical properties, EOS claims to have met UNS C96400 specifications as mentioned in ASTM B369-09 for mechanical performance.
Alongside Phillips Federal and Austal USA for the submarine industrial base (SIB), EOS CopperAlloy CuNi30 was developed and tested to alleviate the supply pressure of traditional castings and meet the goal of ‘2+1 Columbia and Virginia Class submarine platforms’ for the US Navy. Phillips Federal has noted that the material’s performance, combined with the competitive cost-per-part (CPP), has created a strong business case for production implementation.
“EOS was provided with a strategic objective to deliver a CuNi30 product to the US Navy submarine industrial base to mitigate casting delays; a material holding unique to the naval construction industry and not widely available for AM technology use. We acted with priority to support the submarine programme schedule, and we are pleased to share our successful product release within a few months of the project start. It is a privilege to contribute to projects of such strategic importance to our national interests,” shared Ankit Saharan, senior manager of metals technology at EOS.
The manufacturing of CuNi alloy components has traditionally involved casting, which can be expensive due to testing and quality requirements. Through the use of Additive Manufacturing and EOS CopperAlloy CuNi30, users can now meet these requirements while also benefiting from the design and production advantages inherent with the AM process.
“We are grateful for the response from EOS and the Additive Minds team to develop EOS CopperAlloy CuNi30 so quickly. This alloy is critical in many marine applications and will be important in our efforts to support the US Navy Center of Excellence,” stated John Harrison, senior vice president of global additive at Phillips Federal.
EOS CopperAlloy CuNI30 is now commercially available for the mid-frame EOS M 290 and the large-frame EOS M 400. These will be followed by the four laser EOS M 400-4 later in 2024.
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