3D printing news roundup: Norsk Titanium tests part for Thales Alenia Space, NanoSteel introduces steel AM powder, more

Jun 19, 2017 | By Benedict

It’s been a busy start to the week in 3D printing, with Norsk Titanium completing testing of a 3D printed component for Thales Alenia Space, NanoSteel launching a 3D printable tool steel powder, and SLM Solutions agreeing a long-term cooperation agreement with a high-profile Italian customer.

NanoSteel launches 3D printable tool steel powder

NanoSteel, a specialist in nanostructured steel materials based in Providence, Rhode Island, today announced the launch of its first product for the laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing process. BLDRmetal L-40 is described as a “case-hardening steel powder that provides high hardness and ductility (case hardness >70HRC, 10%+ core elongation) and prints easily on standard commercial equipment.”

NanoSteel claims that its new 3D printing alloy provides better performance than M300 maraging steel, and is easier to print than steels such as H13. The company says BLDRmetal L-40 is designed to be used for parts including tools, dies, bearings, and gears. An eight-inch roll thread die set was printed by the company to test the material.

“Launching BLDRmetal L-40 after successfully producing the roll thread dies ensures the commercial viability of the new alloy for customers investigating the use of additive manufacturing,” said Harald Lemke, Vice President and General Manager of NanoSteel Engineered Powders. “We don’t stop at material design, but create joint solutions with our customers, facilitating the process from material selection and prototyping to fully qualified production parts.”

NanoSteel developed the new 3D printing steel through rapid iterative development at CFK GmbH, an industry-leading 3D printing service provider based in Cologne, Germany.

Norsk Titanium tests Rapid Plasma Deposition 3D printed part with Thales Alenia Space

Norsk Titanium, a supplier of aerospace-grade 3D printed titanium components, says it has completed testing of its Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) material with Thales Alenia Space. Under a contract signed in 2016, Norsk Titanium collaborated with Thales Alenia Space to develop, produce, and test an initial qualification component that could replace near-net shape forgings for spaceflight applications.

“Norsk Titanium is delighted to mature our relationship with Thales Alenia Space,” said Norsk Titanium CEO Warren M. Boley Jr. “Along with our recent commercial aerospace successes, this provides further evidence that Norsk Titanium’s Rapid Plasma Deposition material is ready to support the stringent requirements of the in-space market, revolutionizing how the industry incorporates titanium into their critical designs.”

Adoption of RPD material will purportedly enable Thales Alenia Space to improve program performance, “cutting current part buy-to-fly ratios in half and reducing lead-times by six months.”

“Thales Alenia Space is very pleased to confirm that the Rapid Plasma Deposition solution from Norsk Titanium was successfully tested from a mechanical point of view,” added Florence Montredon, Additive Manufacturing Technology Development manager at Thales Alenia Space. “Thales Alenia Space builds larger and larger material parts using additive manufacturing, which represents an important advance during the fabrication phase.”

Earlier this year, Norsk Titanium used its RPD 3D printing process to produce 3D printed titanium parts for aerospace company Boeing. The parts will be used on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Carpenter announces partnerships with Desktop Metal and Samuel, Son & Co.

Pennsylvania-headquartered Carpenter Technology Corporation today announced not one but two new 3D printing partnerships: with Massachusetts-based 3D printer company Desktop Metal, and with Samuel, Son & Co., a family-owned integrated network of metal manufacturing, processing, and distribution divisions.

The Desktop Metal deal is described as a “supply relationship” that will see more than 20 of Carpenter’s CarTech alloy grades used in Desktop Metal's end-to-end metal 3D printing systems. "Leveraging the combined capabilities of Desktop Metal and Carpenter Technology, we will undoubtedly bring enhanced value to this rapidly growing market," said Tony R. Thene, Carpenter Technology's Chief Executive Officer.

Carpenter’s strategic alliance with Samuel, Son & Co., on the other hand, will provide supply chain solutions for the additive manufacturing marketplace. The companies say that Samuel’s recent purchase agreement with Burloak Technologies, an industry supplier of highly engineered additive manufacturing solutions, provides an excellent opportunity for Carpenter and Samuel to become an industry-leading provider of 3D printing solutions.

The partnership will utilize the respective strengths of the companies involved: Carpenter’s experience with powder metals and specialty wire for additive manufacturing; Samuel’s manufacturing, metal processing, and distribution expertise; and Burloak’s additive manufacturing design and development capabilities.

“Samuel and Carpenter have added a new dimension to additive manufacturing in terms of end-to-end capabilities,” Thene said. “With the ability to now offer customers the powder of their choosing, material qualification, design, prototyping, production, and delivery is truly remarkable.”

SLM Solutions signs long-term cooperation agreement with BeamIT

German metal 3D printing specialist SLM Solutions has signed a long-term cooperation agreement (with a multi-machine order) with Italian service office BeamIT. As part of the agreement, BeamIT will purchase 15 multi-laser machines between now and December 31, 2019. BeamIT, one of the leading contract manufacturers of the automotive, biomedical, aeronautic, and aerospace industry, already has several SLM Solutions machines in use.

The 15 SLM Solutions multi-laser machines will consist of ten SLM 280 2.0 machines and five SLM 500 machines equipped with a quad laser system. Together, SLM Solutions and BeamIT will develop and test various parameters for setting the machines when using various metal powders.

“We have been using the machines of the SLM Solutions Group for some time now and find the quality and the advantages of the multi-laser technology compelling, especially regarding productivity, build-part-costs, and the high quality of parts,” said Mauro Antolotti, founder and President of BeamIT. “SLM Solutions systems play a very important role for us in further optimizing our productivity and the build-part-costs.”

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