Desktop Metal launched DM HH Stainless Steel (DM HH-SS), a custom stainless steel alloy that combines high strength and hardness with corrosion resistance, for additive manufacturing on the system platform of production. Customers can now take advantage of the production system’s Single Pass Jetting (SPJ) technology to produce large-scale DM HH-SS components in a range of industries where high strength and hardness are required, including petroleum and gas, automotive, consumer products and medical devices. With the addition of this new alloy, the production system can now print ten qualified metal materials.
DM HH-SS is a custom heat treatable alloy that combines the tensile strength, ductility and corrosion resistance of 13-8 PH stainless steel with the added benefit of improved hardness comparable to steels low alloy steels, such as 4140. These attributes make DM HH-SS a key material for companies looking to eliminate the use of low alloy steels, which also require a subsequent plating step for applications requiring corrosion protection. corrosion. DM HH-SS is also an ideal material for conformally cooled injection tool core and cavity applications, where millions of injection strokes per year are required.
“Our materials science team works diligently to develop innovative materials that meet the needs of our customers’ demanding applications in a cost-effective manner,” said Jonah Myerberg, co-founder and CTO of Desktop Metal. “DM HH-SS is a compelling alternative to 17-4 PH stainless steel that improves its mechanical properties while maintaining corrosion resistance, making it suitable for critical components that previously required the use of stainless steels low alloy for their high hardness and strength. The production system allows customers to go to market at scale with this material and eliminate operations, such as plating, which can create supply chain complexity and also be harmful to the environment. .
Derived from 13-8 PH (UNS 13800) stainless steel and custom developed by Desktop Metal, the DM HH-SS has been qualified and fully characterized for printing on production system technology. Offset sockets used for tool making are essential parts in scenarios where space is limited and a traditional tool could not access a bolt. Manufacturers have traditionally stocked and maintained a wide variety of tools to accommodate the multiple socket sizes produced for each unique bolt size. With the production system, makers can instead maintain a digital warehouse of each sleeve size and print large quantities of different sizes together in a single build, enabling just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing to meet demand. . DM HH-SS is the ideal material for high wear components such as these bushings, which are subjected to repeated abrasive use and are expected to have a long life, rendering high strength and hardness as well as essential corrosion resistance.
Created by the inventors of single-pass binder jetting and inkjet technology, the Production System is an industrial manufacturing platform powered by Desktop Metal’s patent-pending SPJ technology. It is designed to achieve the fastest build speeds in the metal additive manufacturing industry – up to 100 times that of older powder bed fusion technologies – and enable the production of quantities up to millions. parts per year at competitive costs compared to conventional mass production techniques.
The production system platform consists of two printer models: the P-1, a solution for process development and mass production applications, and the P-50, a solution for mass production at large form factor for end use parts. The production system combines Desktop Metal engineered binders with an open materials platform, allowing customers to produce high-performance parts using the same low-cost metal powders used in the metal injection molding industry (MIM). An inert processing environment enables compatibility with a variety of materials, including high performance alloys and even reactive metals, such as aluminum and titanium.
In addition to DM HH-SS, the production system’s material library includes commercially pure copper, D2 tool steel, 420 stainless steel, IN625 nickel alloy, low alloy 4140, 316L stainless steel and 17-4 PH stainless steel. The platform also supports several customer-qualified materials, including silver and gold, and Desktop Metal plans to add additional metals to its portfolio, including tool steels, stainless steels, superalloys , etc
