GKN Hoeganaes begins production of titanium powder for Additive Manufacturing in the USA
June 8, 2017
GKN Hoeganaes, a global leader in the production of high quality metal powders, has started production at its Additive Manufacturing powder facility, co-located with its Powder Innovation Center in Cinnaminson, New Jersey, USA. This new powder atomising facility is part of the joint venture with TLS Technik of Germany, announced last year, and provides customers with a North American source for titanium and other specialised powders for Additive Manufacturing.
This brand new facility now serves as the USA production hub for AncorAM™ powder products and includes full-scale atomising and powder finishing for titanium alloys and other speciality powders for metal Additive Manufacturing. The dedicated Additive Manufacturing powder production lines are housed in a 10,000 ft2 (930 m2) state of the art facility that is fully climate controlled for quality and consistency. The advanced powder atomising process uses a proven refractory-free melting method to produce very high purity powders suitable for aerospace and medical applications. All production is certified and completed according to the AS9100 quality management system with medical quality management system certification now underway.
AncorAM™ powders are specifically designed for Additive Manufacturing
Main AncorAM™ production hall (Courtesy GKN Hoeganaes)
AncorAM™ metal powders are produced on full production scale processing equipment and have been engineered with alloy chemistry and powder characteristics specifically designed for AM, focusing on final product consistency. Powders for both selective laser melting and electron beam melting Additive Manufacturing are available. Standard titanium powder grades now available include AncorTi™ CP and AncorTi™ 6Al4V as well as a host of nickel and ferrous based powders. Additionally, GKN Hoeganaes is developing a family of new powder alloys for Additive Manufacturing including advanced titanium powders to be used in applications that require high oxidation-resistance, specialised nickel-based alloys to be for high temperature applications, and nickel-titanium powders engineered for use in advanced medical devices.
Peter Oberparleiter, CEO of GKN Powder Metallurgy, commented, “The launch of titanium powder production is a key part of GKN’s continued drive to offer a comprehensive set of products, services and technologies that enable the growth of metal Additive Manufacturing into a major industry and positions GKN Hoeganaes to enable its customers to launch demanding additively manufactured components for aerospace and medical applications.”
