General Atomics Launch First 3D Printed Metal Parts

General Atomics skyguardian featured imageDrone manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has teamed up with GE Additive to develop their first metal printed component. The whole process from development to first test flight of the component took just six months. The part in question is a NACA inlet printed in Titanium Ti6Al4V and was fitted to a SkyGuardian drone, […]

3D Printing Goes Nuclear TWICE in One Week

ORNL 3D printed steel reactor core featured imageAs 3D printing technologies, processes and standards have matured, we have seen additive manufacturing climb the ranks of technically complex manufacturing fields.

 We have seen additive manufacturing applied to motorsports, spacecraft engineering, aviation…and now finally, it has made inroads into what could be considered the pinnacle of safety critical sectors: the nuclear power industry. 

And […]

3D Printing Amorphous Metals

Heraeus amloy partHeraeus and Trumpf have partnered to develop amorphous metal 3D printing technology. Also known as glassy metal and metallic glass, these materials exhibit mechanical properties that are superior to metals while also being lighter. This technology will come as no surprise to those who have seen Star Trek IV, where Scotty trades the secrets to […]

Increase Metal AM Productivity with Velo3D’s ‘SupportFree’ System

Velo3D Sapphire featured imageAs we’ve previously outlined, there are significant time and monetary costs associated with post processing of metal 3D prints. Much of those costs are incurred around support material as it eats up stock material and is time-consuming to remove. Having to use support pillars also limits part geometry and how many parts can be printed […]

Wipro 3D Launches Addwize to Accelerate Adoption of Metal 3D Printing

wipro addwize logoWipro 3D, the AM subsidiary of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering, recently launched an additive technology adoption and acceleration program called Addwize. One of the current hurdles to the adoption of metal AM is the learning curve of both the hardware and the new ecosystem. In our article on the post-processing of metal 3D prints, we discussed […]

3D Printed Bathroom Appliances Developed by GROHE

Bathroom appliances specialist GROHE has developed a new line of faucets and taps using sleek metal printed designs. The company’s process results in very thin faucets with minimal pieces, taking full advantage of design for AM. This product line marks one of the first major projects in customizable luxury, 3D printed bathroom appliances. Their fittings, taps, […]

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Characterizations & Comparisons of Virgin and Recycled Metallic 3D Printing Powders

Authors N.E. Gorji, R. O’Connor, and D. Brabazon are studying metal powders in the recently published ‘XPS, XRD, and SEM characterization of the virgin and recycled metallic powders for 3D printing applications.’ Recycling continues to be an ongoing topic in the 3D printing realm as so much material is being consumed and then often discarded due to defects or other structural problems. And while obviously there is a push to re-use as much material as possible—reducing the footprint of manufacturing processes around the world—quality, performance, and functionality are key too.

SEM images are taken from both virgin (left) and recycled (right) powders.

SEM images from the recycled powder (in 20 m and 10 m zoom) indicating the elongated particles, satellites on the surface, spatter, bonded particles and particles with irregular shapes.

For this study, the authors used virgin feedstock and recycled stainless steel 316L for selective laser melting processes. Characterizing surface and microstructure of both powders, the researchers used X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and rheology analysis. Along with examining and comparing both types of powder, the researchers also considered using virgin powder as an additive if recycled powders required further mechanical strength.

Characterization studies were offered for both to make certain they were reproducible, with SEM results showing a slight difference in powder after the SLM process, recycled powder showing more satellite on the surface, with more contamination. Bonded particles were also found in the recycled powder, with some deformed particles.

“Several features are observed in the recycled powders such as elongated particles, satellites on surface, spatter, bonded particles and particles with irregular shapes,” said the researchers. “Overall, the morphology of the recycled powder shows insignificant changes. However, XPS characterization can better reveal the presence of various elements on the surface of the powders especially on the recycled powder.”

The XPS measurements on both virgin (top) and recycled (bottom) powders.

XRD analysis of virgin and recycled powders.

Oxygen levels increased, per XPS measurements from 27.04% to 34.19%, with uptake dependent on powder production. Carbon was reduced from 56% to 45.55%, possibly due to domination of metallic oxides on the surface. The researchers point out that some metal powder, possessing more electronegativity to oxygen, could spread to the outer surface of the powder—thus absorbing oxygen during SLM.

“The presence of heavy metals on the surface such as Ge (5.22%) and Sb (2.86%) is also surprising and is under further examinations,” stated the researchers, going on to recommend mixing virgin powder with the reused powder after five cycles.

“The SEM images show more satellites on recycled powders and XPS measurements show that the metal oxides are slightly increasing on its surface as well. Oxygen is showing the most increment on surface increasing from 27.04% to 34.19%,” concluded the researchers. “The XRD result show no change on the phase of the recycled austenitic stainless steel compared to virgin powder. There are no additional ferritic BCC peaks on recycled powder indicating a low contamination and phase change after SLM process. “

As the study of materials continues to progress in 3D printing, researchers have put enormous focus on metal—from copper to titanium to metal-polymers. What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Images: ‘XPS, XRD, and SEM characterization of the virgin and recycled metallic powders for 3D printing applications’]

 

 

 

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Farsoon Technologies Develops H13 Tool Steel For DMLS 3D Printing

Industrial 3D printer manufacturer Farsoon Technologies collaborated with American tooling production company Next Chapter Manufacturing to develop DMLS (direct metal laser sintering) 3D printing parameters for H13 tool steel. H13 steel has historically been very difficult to process with laser sintering due to its high carbon content, which is prone to evaporate at the extreme […]

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Gefertec Opening Metal Printing Facility In Danville, Virginia

Danville, Virginia will be the home of Gefertec’s first US metal printing facility. Gefertec invested $1.9 million into the project, and the first two years of temporary space at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) will be covered by the Danville Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Facility Authority (RIFA).  “Gefertec is excited to announce the […]

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3D Printed Heat Sinks Display Higher Efficiency

Heat sinks are a crucial part of many electronic devices, dispersing the temperatures they produce during operation. Electronics, especially computers, would succumb to overheating quite often without them, which is why improving them can have major benefits. To this end, teams of researchers from multiple universities have applied 3D printing to show how there’s still […]

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