News

Nov 22, 2023

Desktop Metal announces qualification of three different metals for 3D printing

Copper Alloy C18150 and Titanium Alloy Ti64 have been qualified for 3D printing

Copper Alloy C18150 and Titanium Alloy Ti64 have been qualified for 3D printing on the Production System, and 304L Stainless Steel has been qualified on the Shop System.

by Oliver Johnson

17 March 2023

13:03

Desktop Metal

C18150 (top left) Ti64 (top right) 304L (bottom left)

Desktop Metal has announced it has qualified Copper Alloy C18150 for its Production System 3D printer, alongside Sandvik Additive Manufacturing, and an unnamed a 'major global automaker'.

The company has also announced the qualification of Titanium Alloy Ti64 with TriTech Titanium Parts for binder jet 3D printing on the same system, and the qualification of 304L Stainless Steel with CETIM on the mid-size Shop System.

Also known as chromium zirconium copper, C18150 is a high strength, high-conductivity copper alloy commonly used in thermal transfer applications, such as electrical connectors, welding electrodes, and other electrical and electronic components, according to Desktop Metal.

The company says that a global automaker is now testing a unique 3D printer part design, which is being developed for a future production application, in C18150 using Sandvik's Osprey metal powder.

"We are proud to announce that chromium zirconium copper is now a qualified material, bringing our world-leading portfolio of binder jet materials to 23 metals," said Ric Fulop, Founder and CEO of Desktop Metal. "Simultaneous with our C18150 announcement, we’re also announcing 304L qualification on the Shop System ad Ti64 customer-qualification on the Production System, which demonstrates how our Team DM experts are collaborating with customers on application-specific material and part qualification projects for future additive manufacturing 2.0 production."

For the qualification of Titanium Alloy Ti64, Desktop Metal worked with Detroit-based company TriTech Titanium Parts, which manufactures titanium parts for commercial and industrial markets including aerospace, marine, and automotive. The company says Ti64 is a popular material because of its strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility.

Desktop Metal says that binder jetting of Ti64 simplifies production of complex titanium parts, which can be challenging and expensive to fabricate using traditional manufacturing methods.

"With binder jet 3D printing, titanium production of even the most complex geometries can be greatly simplified and achieved at a lower cost," said Robert Swenson, owner of TriTech. "Our team is incredibly proud to be the first Desktop Metal Production System P-1 customer worldwide to binder jet 3D print titanium, and we’re excited to offer this new manufacturing technology to our customers."

Desktop Metal says the qualification of 304L complements the suite of stainless steel materials now qualified on the Shop System mid-sized binder jet 3D printer, which also includes 17-4PH, 316L, IN625 and Cobalt-Chrome. The company says that among stainless steels, 304L is noteworthy for high tensile strength, corrosion resistance, and durability.

"304L is one of the many Additive Manufacturing materials that CETIM is studying and developing processes for on behalf of French industry," said Christophe Reynaud, Ph.D., Additive Manufacturing Material Engineer at CETIM. "304L is a key material in the energy sector due to its corrosion resistance, suited for highly demanding environments such as civil nuclear applications. Coupled with the high versatility and responsiveness of the Shop System, it is now possible to considerably reduce the lead-time for critical 304L maintenance parts, avoiding long and expensive downtimes in the factory."

Fulop added: "We are delighted to partner with the highly respected CETIM on qualifying 304L for use on the Shop System. This new material offering will allow manufacturers to produce complex geometries of 304L parts on demand with little to no waste, whether they are interested in low or high volumes. 304L is a flexible, widely used stainless steel across many industries, and we’re delighted to offer it in our affordable, popular Shop System model."

by Oliver Johnson

17 March 2023

13:03

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