3D Metal Printing
3D Metal Printing
Introduction
Metal 3D printing is a futuristic technology that produces impossible-to-make parts directly from your CAD data. Advantages to this process include the ability to produce strong, complex geometries, internal lattice structures, conformal cooling channels and other features that cannot be made with traditional machining.
Parts can be made quickly with a minimum of material waste making them ideal for next-generation engineering in aerospace, medical, automotive and other industries.
How it works ?
3D printers turn your CAD designs into real parts by building them layer by layer .
The Process consists of 3 Simple Components:
3D Printing Software :
3D printing relies on a fully-automated software system that controls everything from gantry position to material deposition. These systems vary significantly, but all have the same core elements.
3D printing materials
Material selection dictates both the mechanical properties of the final part and the specifics of the printing process required to fabricate it. Application constraints come first when selecting a material—however, fabrication constraints can equally make or break your part.
3D printing process:
Dictated by software, this is the physical process by which the 3D printers deposit material layer-by-layer in the shape of a part. The specifics of this process impact part quality, precision, and print time
Bound Metal Deposition
Introduction
In Magna Digitech we use a Metal 3D Printing Process called Bound Metal Deposition (BMD) extrudes bound metal rods—similar to how an FDM printer works. Bound Metal Deposition works by first extruding rods of bound metal to form “green” parts layer by layer.
This eliminates the safety requirements often associated with metal 3D printing while enabling new features like the use of closed-cell infill for lightweight strength
How it Works
Metal Printing : Bound Metal Deposition, is an extrusion-based metal additive manufacturing (AM) process where metal components are created by extrusion of a powder-filled thermoplastic media. Metal powder that is sustained together by both wax and polymer binder. They are then heated and extruded onto the build plate. This shapes the part layer by layer.
Debinding : The polymer & wax binder in the metal parts is now removed by the Debinder making it ready for sintering.
Sintering :
The parts are then sintered resulting in densifying the metal & fusing of metal particles together causing the part to densify up to 98-99.8% resulting in properties superior to casted parts.
Advantages
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Materials
17-4 ph stainless steel
Applications
- Manufacturing machinery
- Chemical processing
- Food processing
- Pump components
- Valves
- Fasteners
- Jigs and fixtures
316L stainless steel
Applications
- Chemical and petrochemical processing
- Food processing
- Laboratory equipment
- Medical devices
- Marine
- Jewelry
H13 Tool steel
Applications
- Extrusion dies
- Injection molds
- Hot forging dies
- Die casting cores, inserts and cavities
4140 steel
Applications
- Jigs and fixtures
- Automotive
- Bolts/Nuts
- Gears
- Steel couplings
Copper
Applications
- Consumer and industrial electronics
- Heat exchangers
- Antennas
- Inductors
Alloy 625
Alloy 625 is a nickel-based superalloy characterized by its hardness and abrasion resistance as well as its performance at high temperatures, making it suitable for the most extreme environments.
Applications
- Jet engines
- Navy marine applications
- Submarines
- Aerospace
- Extreme environment applications
- Nuclear reactors
- Substitute for tool steel
- Heat treat applications
