Fehrmann’s AlMgty brings colour to additively manufactured parts
February 9, 2020
Fehrmann Alloys GmbH & Co KG, Hamburg, Germany, has reported that its silicon-free aluminium alloy AlMgty has the ability to be anodised in a variety of colours, bringing the option to its metal additively manufactured parts for the first time.
Components made of the standard alloy AlSi10Mg cannot be anodised well due to its silicon content of 9 to 11%, resulting in grey-brown coloured parts. The company states that AlMgty does not require silicon and as a result, components which are additively manufactured with AlMgty can be anodised in various colours as corrosion protection and for decorative purposes.
The company explains that the two components shown in the image above were produced using AlMgty by Andreas Wiesner, former head of R&D at SLM Solutions and now owner of the firm AM & Research, on a standard SLM Solutions SLM 280 HL system. The test parts comprised a converted and half turned tension rod and a small plate which were then anodised in dark red or gold. The anodised layer was approximately 25 microns thick and the platelet was then polished.
