VBN Components demonstrates hybrid wear solution
VBN Components, based in Uppsala, Sweden, has, in collaboration with an unnamed pump manufacturer, demonstrated a method for integrating additively manufactured cemented carbide into large-scale cast components.
Casting directly onto Vibenite 480 reportedly enabled a significant increase in wear resistance for slurry pumps and other cast equipment, without requiring full-size components to be produced via Additive Manufacturing. The approach uses a Vibenite Nucleation Net Zone (VNNZ), introduced during the Additive Manufacturing process. This engineered interface enables metallurgical bonding between high-chromium cast iron and Vibenite 480 during casting.
Wear testing in representative slurry pump environments was said to have shown that Vibenite 480 offers erosive wear resistance approximately ten times higher than high-chromium cast iron and around 100 times higher than hardened steel plate, according to the company.
Although these material properties are established, the size limitations of current metal Additive Manufacturing machines may make it impractical to produce metre-scale AM pump housings. This has driven the development of a hybrid approach, in which smaller, strategically designed additively manufactured components are placed in high-wear zones within a casting mould.
Without the VNNZ, molten cast iron can remelt or intermix with the inserts, compromising both geometry and material performance. The VNNZ is intended to mitigate this issue, supporting structural integrity and metallurgical bonding during casting.
Following trials, the companies plan to verify the technology in full-scale slurry pump housings, focusing on the most wear-exposed areas. The approach enables the use of wear components across a wide range of geometries, not limited to flat surfaces.
By enabling the placement of Vibenite 480 only where required, the method may offer a scalable and cost-efficient route to extended component lifetime in demanding applications.
“This is an exciting development for our additive manufacturing technology,” stated Dr Ulrik Beste, CTO of VBN Components. “We are demonstrating how the superior wear resistance of Vibenite 480 can be integrated into large industrial components in a practical and scalable way—combining material performance with the design freedom of AM. It opens up significant new business opportunities.”
