Desktop Metal, in partnership with Sandvik Additive Manufacturing and a top five global automaker, has announced that copper alloy C18150, also known as chromium zirconium copper, has been DM Qualified for binder jet 3D printing on the Production System. This material is commonly used in electrical and electronic components due to its high-strength and high-conductivity properties. The automaker is testing a unique 3D printed part design, which is being developed for a future production application, in C18150 using Sandvik’s Osprey metal powder. The companies will discuss details of this joint automotive project during a presentation at AMUG 2023 in Chicago. With the addition of C18150, Desktop Metal now offers a world-leading 23 metal materials on its binder jet 3D printing systems, including the Shop System, Production System, and X-Series platforms.
Chromium zirconium copper offers a combination of strength, conductivity, and corrosion resistance that makes it suitable for a wide range of industrial and commercial applications. The material has now been qualified for use on the high-speed Printing System platform in collaboration with Sandvik Additive Manufacturing, who provided C18150 powder that routinely delivered as-sintered densities of 98-99% when printed on the P-1. The automaker will scale a part design in C18150 for serial production on the Production System P-50 after additional development.
Desktop Metal’s founder and CEO, Ric Fulop, expressed pride in announcing the qualification of chromium zirconium copper as a qualified material, bringing the company’s world-leading portfolio of binder jet materials to 23 metals. He also highlighted the simultaneous announcement of 304L qualification on the Shop System and Ti64 customer-qualification on the Production System. The company’s experts are collaborating with customers on application-specific material and part qualification projects for future Additive Manufacturing 2.0 production.
Desktop Metal’s binder jet technology can 3D print almost any powder. The company has a tiered material qualification system for metals to signify the varying levels of material property results produced by its technology. DM Qualified signifies printing and sintering profiles developed by DM, with fully characterized material and mechanical properties that meet MPIF or other similar standards where available. Customer-Qualified materials have been qualified by customers with their own standards and are being successfully printed for their own applications. R&D Materials signify initial testing completed by DM demonstrating binder and process compatibility, with printing and sintering profiles under final development.
The Production System platform features high-speed Single Pass Jetting (SPJ) technology on 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. With C18150 qualification, the Production System now offers a wider range of options for customers seeking to use copper alloys in their products.
Desktop Metal and Sandvik will provide an update on binder jetting of Ti64 and Al6061 at AMUG 2023. The companies will also discuss details of the automotive project during a panel discussion from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 23, in the Joliet Room at the Hilton Chicago.
In conclusion, Desktop Metal’s qualification of copper alloy C18150 for binder jet 3D printing on the Production System, in collaboration with Sandvik Additive Manufacturing and a top five global automaker, represents a significant milestone in the company’s efforts to provide a world-leading portfolio of binder jet materials to its customers. The partnership has demonstrated the capabilities of binder jetting in the production of complex parts in copper alloys, opening up a range of applications in thermal transfer and other
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