Jun 16, 2016 | By Alec
Metal 3D printing is growing in popularity in numerous industries, including the aerospace and automobile sectors, for its ability to realize very complex and detailed single-part geometries – perfect for highly complicated rocket engines. The only downside is that just a limited number of metal powders can currently be 3D printed, many of which have roughly comparable properties. That could change soon, however, as German metals developer Heraeus and Swedish startup Exmet AB have now succeeded to 3D print amorphous metals, paving the way for a lot more 3D printable materials with unique properties.
An amorphous metal is a solid metallic material, usually an alloy, with a disordered atomic-scale structure. While most metals are crystalline, amorphous metals are not and instead form glass-like structures that are perfect electrical conductors. Also known as bulk metallic glasses (BMG) and glassy alloys, they can be made from almost any metal alloy, are virtually unaffected by corrosion, and are extremely strong and energy absorbent. Theoretically, they can provide engineers with the opportunity to significantly reduce the weight of parts, but these amorphous metals are difficult to manufacture and are therefore rarely used commercially.
But that could change thanks to the 3D printing innovations of Exmet AB and Heraeus. Using Exmet’s disruptive 3D printing technology, they are completely bypassing the need for casting, melt spinning and thermoplastic forming when working with amorphous metals. “Now Exmet AB can help you move the technical dreams into reality,” the company says.
During the collaboration, Heraeus provided the materials and metal powder expertise, and will be incorporating these amorphous metals into their portfolio of 3D printing materials. Heraeus is extremely optimistic, arguing that this breakthrough could fundamentally change manufacturing in the future. “They possess a wide variety of previously incompatible characteristics: They are very strong and yet malleable, as well as harder and more corrosion-resistant than conventional metals. Together with Exmet, we intend to open up this new class of materials for industry and 3D printing,” Tobias Caspari, head of Heraeus 3D Printing, says. “Particularly in additive manufacturing, it is crucial for the material and the manufacturing process to be perfectly matched in order to ensure the utmost consistency and quality.”
By making these materials 3D printable, they are effectively greatly enhancing the potential of metal 3D printing, says Mattias Unosson, Exmet co-founder and CEO. “For fifty years the commercial success of amorphous metals has been held back by inadequate manufacturing methods. Now that changes. Exmet looks forward to cooperating with Heraeus as a competent partner with a worldwide network to help bring this disruptive new technology to the market,” he argued.
It’s not difficult to imagine a wide range of applications for these interesting amorphous metals. Especially the material’s energy-absorbing and scratch-proof qualities would make them suitable for 3D printed consumer electronics, among others, while their high strength and resistance to corrosion should be very welcomed by industrial engineers. To realize those possibilities, Exmet AB is currently seeking corporate partners to help commercialize their disruptive 3D printing platform, while Heraeus is expected to make these metals commercially available. Metal 3D printing, it seems, is about to get a whole lot bigger.
Posted in 3D Printing Technology
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