By Melissa Donovan
The April issue of Industrial Print magazine includes a feature article on three-dimensional (3D) printing, which is considered a cost-effective and efficient method to produce metal parts. Aerospace, automotive, medical, jewelry, and consumer product buyers recognize the potential of additive manufacturing (AM) in their production practices. Reasons include design flexibility, reduced inventory, enhanced environmental impact, and supply chain sustainability.
In its study, 3D Printing Metal Market Size, Industry Share, Trends and Forecast to 2028, Insight Partners segments the global 3D printing metal market—based on form—into powder, filament, and others. It argues that metal powder is the backbone of metal 3D printing.
“Metal powder is an undeniably important aspect of 3D printing in metals. Powders are important in the process of metal 3D printing because they allow for the fast production of products and make rapid prototyping a reality. Powders also allow for complex and unique designs, which were once impossible to 3D print, to be made with more simplicity and more efficiently,” explains Meaghan Ferris, global head of 3D metals go-to-market and business development, HP Personalization and 3D Printing.
One reason metal power is used so frequently is because of its wide availability “and the presence of powder metal manufacturers/suppliers all in support of powder metal manufacturing, i.e., powder metallurgy. Powder metallurgy refers to the manufacturing process by which powdered metals or metal blends are formed to desired specifications through a unique combination of heat and compression to create parts and components that offer improved strength over traditionally forged alternatives. Powder metal manufacturing has ancient roots but has been used frequently since the early 20th century. This existing history and knowledge base probably provided a logical foundation for metal AM,” says Dr. Rashid Miraj, director of technical operations, AlphaSTAR Technology Solutions.
Thanks to this history, metal powder has the greatest amount of data available on the market today, according to Chase D. Cox, VP, MELD Manufacturing Corporation. “Powder will have its niche use cases, similar to wire, and similar to the solid bar feedstock that MELD uses. To use an analogy, a drill will never eliminate the need for a hammer, and the hammer is not known as the backbone of all other tools. Both are used for different applications. The different 3D printing technologies and feedstocks should be seen as various tools on a tool belt.”
“Metal power is the backbone of metal printing for sure. Metal filaments are mostly powder metal anyway. In the case of Rapidia’s technology, our feedstock is a metal paste that consists of about 90 percent metal powder, water, and a small part binding additives. This has many advantages over metal filaments, and is much safer than using loose metal powders, but at its root, Rapidia’s feedstock is also based on metal powders,” says Skyler Des Roches, head of customer experience, Rapidia Inc.
While metal powder is the most common, Mark Norfolk, president, Fabrisonic LLC, recognizes some downsides, including “health hazards, strict storage requirements to avoid oxidation, and many metal powders are explosive. Due to the explosion potential of these powdered metal feedstocks, many manufacturing facilities that utilize metal powders must be registered with the ATF. Powder quality and consistency present significant challenges. This inconsistency can adversely affect product quality, consistency, and repeatability, although standards for metal powders are coming to market.”
“We see strong growth in AM, especially in the filament-based processes. The use of metal powder filled materials is rather new and many users are just becoming aware that there is an inexpensive and reliable process of fabricating metal parts with fused filament fabrication technology,” shares Florian Rapp, head of development, Multec GmbH.
Dr. Eliana Fu, industry manager: aerospace and medical, TRUMPF Inc., believes metal feedstock—in particular ingot—is the “backbone of metallic 3D printing. You can make both powder and wire from an ingot.”
“Alternate feedstocks are quickly growing, including wires derived from standard welding wire and foil feedstocks derived from the aerospace supply base. Solid feedstocks eliminate health and safety problems and have been produced to ASTM specifications for decades. Over time we can expect to see a better distribution of feedstocks as the industry matures,” adds Norfolk.
Based on Form
Powder may be the backbone of metal 3D printing, but other options like filament-based processes are coming to market to make some noise. For more on 3D metal printing, refer to our April print issue.
May2023, Industrial Print Magazine