Sep 5, 2017 | By Tess

Industrial 3D printing supplier EOS has announced the release of its newest 3D printing material: StainlessSteel 17-4PH IndustryLine. The new product was developed for use with EOS’ DMLS metal 3D printing systems (especially the EOS M 290 printer) and is made from an iron-based metal alloy powder.

The company says its new 3D printing material is suitable for serial production, as it offers “reproducible part quality through the highest degree of data reliability for material properties of the end product.” The material also promises to help manufacturers cut back on time and costs, particularly in the quality assurance and part qualification processes.

“Planning security and reliability are top priorities for customers who are engaged in serial manufacturing," explained Dr. Tobias Abeln, Chief Technical Officer (CTO) at EOS. "For its StainlessSteel 17-4PH IndustryLine, EOS provides reliable and statistically proven data for the most important material properties of finished parts."

“This significantly raises quality standards in additive manufacturing," Abeln added. "The customer can use the data 1:1 to qualify the technology for large-scale production and therefore minimize the time required as well as cut the cost of in-house material and process qualification."

This means that for manufacturers seeking a fail-safe way to scale up their metal additive manufacturing production while benefiting from an efficient time-to-market strategy, StainlessSteel 17-4PH IndustryLine could be the answer.

EOS M 290 metal 3D printing system

Thanks to its strength, curability, and corrosion and acid-resistance, StainlessSteel 17-4PH IndustryLine is especially useful for the production of orthopedic and surgical instruments and devices. EOS says the material is easy to post-process, as parts printed from it can be heat treated, micro-blasted and polished right after printing.

Before releasing its new material, EOS put its StainlessSteel 17-4PH IndustryLine powder through various tests and quality assurance processes. As can be seen in its material data sheets, the powder underwent tensile tests, density measurements, chemistry analyses, hardness measurements, and more.

EOS also promises to apply its stringent qualification tests to each batch of StainlessSteel 17-4PH IndustryLine powder before it is sent out to clients. “The quality of each batch of EOS StainlessSteel 17-4PH IndustryLine powder delivered is guaranteed by quality assurance processes, which are parts of the extensive quality management system used at EOS for systems, powdered materials, and processes,” said the company.

Exactech 3D printing surgical instruments using EOS StainlessSteel 17-4PH IndustryLine

Exactech, a Florida-based medical device manufacturer, has been using EOS’ new metal powder to produce a number of surgical instruments. Zachary Bryan, an Exactech test developer and metallurgist, praised the new material:

“We were impressed by both the quantity and quality of the data that EOS provided for its IndustryLine process and material. We have manufactured various instruments based on EOS StainlessSteel 17-4PH IndustryLine and achieved the desired material properties. Exactech is planning to use this material for the small-scale manufacturing of medical instruments and intends to do so in collaboration with EOS.”

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Materials

 

 

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