Sheet metal press brake 3D printed in 4140 chromoly steel
Desktop Metal has announced the latest addition to its 3D printing materials portfolio, 4140 chromoly steel.
Designed for low volume production and prototyping on its office friendly Studio System, the material is characterised by its toughness, high tensile strength, abrasion and impact resistance, and joins H13 tool steel and 316L and 17-4 PH stainless steels, in the company’s metals library. Early tests show that the material is ideal for applications in industries such as automotive, oil and gas, pumps and hydraulics, agriculture and defense.
“As global demand for the Studio System grows, Desktop Metal is broadening its materials portfolio to include 4140 chromoly steel, enabling designers and engineers to print a broad variety of critical industrial applications, such as couplings, forks, pinions, pump shafts, sprockets, torsion bars, worm gears, connecting rods, and fasteners,” said Ric Fulop, CEO and co-founder of Desktop Metal. “Now, teams around the world will be able to leverage the Studio System to iterate quickly on 4140 prototypes and ultimately produce end-use, customer-ready parts faster and more cost-effectively.”
Desktop Metal has put forward a number of examples where the material could be beneficial such as the manufacture of connecting rods for combustion engines. The company says 4140 is a key material choice for the creation of functional prototypes as it can withstand necessary high temperatures and mechanical stresses. Further examples include custom press brake tools for sheet metal tooling due to the materials toughness and resistance impact, and the creation of working models for complex mechanical couplings used in machinery.
Dominique Ghiglione, R&D Manager – Materials & Process at CETIM, the Technical Centre for Mechanical Industry, commented: “The fact that Desktop Metal offers 4140 is excellent news for the mechanical industry. This material is indeed the ‘Swiss army knife’ because of its good performance-to-cost ratio and its mechanical characteristics. This material is found in many automotive components, special machines, construction machinery, agricultural machinery, and so on. CETIM knows this material very well for having used it for a number of mechanical applications. Having this steel to use with our Studio System will allow us to effectively continue the spread of metal additive manufacturing within the mechanical industry.”
The news follows Desktop Metal’s surprise announcement earlier this month which saw a move away from metals with the launch of the Fiber continuous fibre composite 3D printing platform.
