3D printing for metal parts becomes five times faster
3D printing specialist Prodways has developed a new process for metal parts in collaboration with the French research institute CEA-LITEN. This makes it possible to produce metallic objects up to five times faster than with currently available methods. Other advantages cited include a higher degree of precision in production, the ability to work with different metals, and lower energy and production costs. A first test run with titanium was successful.
"Our research and development team has been working with CEA-LITEN for two years now to develop a completely new process for 3D metal printing," Prodways says. Although work on the innovative process is far from complete, it is already showing its versatile potential, it added. "We have now managed to successfully produce some parts from titanium using the new process for the first time in this project," the company says.
The results achieved are "very promising" and "a huge step forward". "If we could roll this technology out to full production now, there would be substantial benefits that would significantly exceed the highest performance claims of currently available methods," Prodways emphasizes. Until then, however, there are still some major challenges to be overcome.
No exact details yet
With all this advance praise, however, the experts are still holding back with more precise details about their 3D printing process for metal. All that is known is that this also relies, at least in part, on the company's own MOVINGLight technology, which is mainly used to produce castings by means of the lost wax process. To complement this, a combination of organic binders and various metal powders is apparently used to indirectly print the desired parts.
Indirectly in this case means that 3D printing can be used to produce special tools and parts such as master pattern molds "with extremely complex dimensions". These, in turn, can subsequently be used to produce large quantities of metal parts. "In this way, we combine the capabilities of a 3D printer to produce high quality and complex components with the possibilities of a production capacity designed for large volumes into a perfect synergy of different technologies."
