Sydney Manufacturing Hub to add Quintus Hot Isostatic Press
April 16, 2024
The Sydney Manufacturing Hub (SMH), the advanced manufacturing research facility at the University of Sydney, Australia, is expanding its research capabilities with the addition of a new Hot Isostatic Press from Quintus Technologies, based in Västerås, Sweden.
As a research facility, the SMH is focused on offering the broadest possible range of advanced manufacturing capabilities, explains Professor Simon Ringer, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research Infrastructure), University of Sydney. It aims to support the entire Additive Manufacturing workflow from design through to final part conformity in one facility.
“This Hot Isostatic Press delivers enormous uplift in our university’s contribution to the national advanced manufacturing capability,” stated Prof Ringer. “It aligns critically with our own initiatives such as at the Sydney Biomedical Accelerator and our Net Zero Initiative. Moreover, this is a nationally significant capability that will allow our researchers to partner with industry to blaze new trails in manufacturing-related R&D.”
The SMH selected a Quintus QIH 15L M URQ + URC equipped with several proprietary features intended to streamline the HIP process and produce finished additively manufactured parts with optimal material properties, maximising theoretical density, ductility, and fatigue resistance.
Uniform Rapid Quenching (URQ) delivers a cooling rate of 103K/minute, while minimising thermal distortion and non-uniform grain growth. HPHT (High Pressure Heat Treatment) combines stress-relief annealing, Hot Isostatic Pressing, high-temperature solution-annealing (SA), high-pressure gas quenching (HPGQ), and subsequent aging or precipitation hardening (PH) in one integrated furnace cycle.
Quintus’ focus on materials science and materials processing research, exemplified by the press’ URQ functionality, was of special interest to the Sydney hub, Prof Ringer added. He also cited what he called the ‘intrinsic safety’ of the Quintus vessel and yoke design, along with the rapid cycle time for processing additively manufactured parts, as major benefits for the facility, which is geared to enable concept-to-production demonstration capabilities.
“Our new HIP capability will address a significant gap in the AM community in the Australian region and further offer the potential for SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and start-up companies to access this critical process,” Prof Ringer added.
SMH’s user base extends from its own researchers to those from other local universities and research organisations to private industry and collaborations with international institutions.
“As the industry leader in advanced Hot Isostatic Pressing technology for over seventy years, we have noted exceptional interest in new manufacturing approaches that improve quality, lower cost, and reduce environmental impacts,” said Jan Söderström, CEO of Quintus Technologies. “We are excited to work with the talented researchers at the Sydney Manufacturing Hub to deepen their expertise and refine processes for pressure-supported heat treatment, laying the foundation to advance both productivity and sustainability for operations in Australia and its neighbours.”
The hot zone of the model QIH 15L M URC measures 186 mm in diameter and 500 mm high. The press operates at a maximum pressure of 30,000 psi and a maximum temperature of 1,400°C. It will be installed in the Hub’s purpose-built facility on the University of Sydney’s Darlington campus in January 2025.
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