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Based in Massachusetts Office metal (NYSE: DM) recently announced the qualification of the latest material for its Production system, 420 grade stainless steel (420 SS). Using the company’s patent-pending Single Pass Jetting (SPJ) technology, manufacturers can mass-produce high-strength end-use parts for industrial applications such as aerospace, defense, consumer products and medical at high speed.
“Engineers continue to research metal additive manufacturing as a leading option to drive innovation in design and manufacturing. We believe that our qualification of 420 stainless steel and other high strength alloys will accelerate the deployment of our AM 2.0 solutions among customers looking to successfully mass-produce critical parts at scale, â€explained Jonah Myerberg, co-founder and technical director of Desktop Metal.
Twin Screw Extruder Mixing Elements in Build Box
More recently, the 3D printing unicorn turned public listed company qualified nickel superalloy IN625 for high volume 3D printing on its industrial production system platform, after also qualifying 316L stainless steel and 4140 low alloy steel for the printer, to which Desktop Metal refers. as “the world’s fastest way to 3D print metal parts at scale”.
The crystal structure of stainless steels classifies them into one of five main types: austenitic, ferritic, duplex, precipitation hardened and martensitic. Alloy 420 SS falls into the latter of these categories, which means it can be hardened and tempered by different aging / heat treatment methods. Known for its hardness and high strength, 420 SS also has corrosion resistance, when fully cured, to food, fresh water, atmosphere, and mild acids. Because of these characteristics, the metal alloy is often used for applications such as ball bearings, high end cutlery, hand tools, surgical and dental instruments, fasteners, drive shafts, components. pump and valve and gauges.
Lockable hinge bar
A major application is in the medical and surgical sectors. To give surgeons better visibility, precision and range of motion, robotic surgical systems are often used in medical procedures. These systems have many small, complex parts that make up their very precise motion systems. Desktop Metal’s production system uses high resolution binder jet printing, which is a good choice for creating the delicate features of robotic surgical instruments, such as a lockable articulation bar.
The high hardness and excellent corrosion resistance of 420 SS make it an ideal material for these types of medical components, and since it does not require any tooling, serial printing can start immediately, saving a lot of money. time and money.
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Valve nozzle adapter
Another application for Desktop Metal 420 SS high volume 3D printing is in the aerospace industry, specifically nozzle to valve adapters, which are used to connect fluid systems and nozzles together and often require multiple versions. to be able to work with different sizes and diameters of nozzle. The newly qualified alloy is good for printing them due to its high hardness and corrosion resistance and the fact that no tooling is required which means that multiple geometries and sizes of adapters can be printed in the same construction, because the production system can support high competitive volumes. manufacture and can print thousands at the same time.
Valve nozzle adapters in build box
Used for composing, mixing and processing viscous materials, twin screw extruder mixing elements are another high volume 3D printing application for Desktop Metal production system and the newly qualified 420 SS. Complex lobes are found around the exterior of the part flute, which must be optimized for proper material extrusion; it means a unique mixing element for each different material. However, instead of using several advanced machining techniques, custom configurations and fasteners, the production system’s binder blasting process makes it much simpler.
Again, the corrosion resistance and high hardness of the material make it a good choice for this application, and large volumes of different mixing elements can be printed in each construction, which, again, allows for ‘Save a lot on lead times and when production costs compared to machining.
Twin Screw Extruder Mixing Element
Desktop Metal’s materials science team qualified and fully characterized the 420 SS, 3D printed on its production system, and meets Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) 35 standards for structural powder metallurgy parts. .
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