TriTech Titanium Parts LLC, a Detroit-based manufacturer of titanium parts for aerospace, marine, and automotive industries, and Desktop Metal, Inc., a global leader in additive manufacturing technologies for mass production, have announced the customer-qualification of Ti64 for binder jet 3D printing on the Production System™. The high-speed Single Pass Jetting (SPJ) technology platform features two models: the P-1, for research and development of binder jetting projects for serial production, and the P-50, the world’s fastest metal binder jet system, offering the lowest cost per part with SPJ technology. Ti64 is a popular material, known for its excellent strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. Binder jetting of Ti64 simplifies the production of complex titanium parts, which can be challenging and expensive to fabricate using traditional manufacturing methods.

TriTech Titanium Parts LLC, which is ISO 9001:2015 certified, uses metal injection molding (MIM), investment casting, and now binder jet 3D printing on the Desktop Metal Production System P-1 to produce titanium parts. The company is a spin-off of AmeriTi Manufacturing Co., which was founded in 1984 and sold last year to Kymera International.

TriTech’s owner, Robert Swenson, who is also the former owner of AmeriTi, stated that with binder jet 3D printing, titanium production of even the most complex geometries can be greatly simplified and achieved at a lower cost. Swenson, a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Metallurgical Engineering and an MBA from Harvard Business School, is incredibly proud to be the first Desktop Metal Production System P-1 customer worldwide to binder jet 3D print titanium, and the company is excited to offer this new manufacturing technology to its customers.

With the latest addition to the material portfolio, Desktop Metal offers the ability to binder jet 23 metals, including copper, aluminum, and now, titanium. Ric Fulop, Founder and CEO of Desktop Metal, stated that they are excited to help engineers and manufacturers produce complex, once-impossible designs in a wide range of metals, including challenging materials such as titanium.

While Ti64 is a popular material, it’s also known for being expensive to manufacture. The material’s strength, as well as its low thermal conductivity and ductility, make it challenging to machine or produce with traditional manufacturing methods. Shaping the material with MIM requires special knowledge and processes. TriTech is among a very small percentage of companies that produce titanium parts with MIM, and the company has developed its own MIM processes after years of R&D. However, with binder jetting, the process can be simplified and made more economical.

Binder jetting is a process where an industrial printhead selectively deposits a binder into a bed of Ti64 powder particles, creating a solid part one thin layer at a time, just like printing on sheets of paper. The form or shape produced by the printer is then sintered to high density and accuracy in a furnace, similar to the MIM process. Additionally, binder jetting allows unbound material to be reused in the process, adding to its cost efficiency.

Desktop Metal’s binder jet technology can 3D print almost any powder, which is why the company has a tiered material qualification system for metals to signify the varying levels of material property results produced by. Production System users interested in working with titanium should consult their Desktop Metal sales representative on hardware and binder requirements.

TriTech will discuss its experience binder jetting Ti64 at AMUG 2023, held March 19-23 in Chicago. The topic will be part of a Desktop Metal panel discussion from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Thursday, March 23,