ExOne to produce ceramic-metal AM parts under new license with ORNL

February 1, 2021

ExOne’s M-Flex AM machine was used by ORNL to develop the in aluminium-infiltrated boron carbide process (Courtesy The ExOne Company)

The ExOne Company, North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, USA, reports that it has reached a commercial license agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA, to produce Additive Manufacturing parts in aluminium-infiltrated boron carbide (B4C).

Researchers at ORNL developed the patent-pending method of Additive Manufacturing aluminium-infiltrated B4C on an ExOne M-Flex AM machine that uses Binder Jetting (BJT) technology to produce AM parts in metals, ceramics and other powder materials.

ExOne executed an R&D license for the manufacturing process in 2019. That license has now been expanded to commercial use so that the company can begin additively manufacturing aluminium-infiltrated B4C collimators, shielding equipment and other components used in neutron scattering research.

The team at ORNL, led by David C Anderson, Manager of Instrument Systems Engineering for the Second Target Station Project, developed a process to additively manufacture parts in B4C, a neutron-absorbing material, and then infiltrate the objects with aluminium. The final aluminium-infiltrated B4C material is known as a metal-matrix composite, a type of cermet. ORNL’s Amy Elliott is a co-inventor of this process and additional co-inventors of these technologies include Corson Cramer and Bianca Haberl, both of ORNL.

The development is said to be significant because aluminium-infused B4C has strong, yet lightweight properties, as well as neutron-absorbing characteristics that are particularly useful in neutron scattering instruments, which enable researchers to capture data down to the atomic level.

According to ExOne, using traditional methods, manufacturers face limitations in the shapes of collimators they can produce, which also limits the type of research and other work that could be achieved with them. The new method of creating B4C objects opens the door to new types of objects useful in deflecting or absorbing energy, which can protect people and the environment from radiation.

The intellectual property covered in the license agreement includes pending US patent application no. 16/155,134, entitled ‘Collimators and Other Components from Neutron Absorbing Materials Using Additive Manufacturing’, as well as two additional provisional filings. Under the agreement, ExOne will also engage in the ongoing AM production of a variety of B4C matrix components used in neutron scattering experiments at ORNL.

The new B4C material also means that the company can now offer its customers a method of Additive Manufacturing a metal material that is lighter than bronze. ExOne’s metal AM machines, such as the Innovent+®, M-Flex®, X1 25Pro®, and X1 160Pro™ are capable of producing AM parts in more than twenty-two materials.

www.exone.com

www.ornl.gov

In the latest issue of Metal AM magazine

Download PDF
 

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

  • Metal powders in Additive Manufacturing: An exploration of sustainable production, usage and recycling
  • Inside Wayland Additive: How innovation in electron beam PBF is opening new markets for AM
  • An end-to-end production case study: Leveraging data-driven machine learning and autonomous process control in AM
  • Consolidation, competition, and the cost of certification: Insight from New York’s AM Strategies 2024
  • Scandium’s impact on the Additive Manufacturing of aluminium alloys
  • AM for medical implants: An analysis of the impact of powder reuse in Powder Bed Fusion

The world of metal AM to your inbox

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

Sign up

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

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
View online
Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap