DM Production System
Desktop Metal is working to develop an additive manufacturing process capable of producing high volumes of Cobalt-free hardmetals for the US Department of Defence (DoD).
It comes after the DoD awarded the Boston-based company $2.45 million to carry out the three-year project which will see Desktop Metal develop a proprietary additive manufacturing technology that can mass manufacture complex parts in ‘Co-free’ hardmetals without tooling. The US Army has already developed a patented, novel Co-free WC-(Fe-Ni-Zr)-based hardmetal, and tasked the Army Research Laboratory with finding a cost-effective, high volume process that could manufacture complex net or near-net shaped parts in said metal.
Issuing Desktop Metal with the project, the partners expect the resulting technology, which will be based on the 3D printing vendor's Production System, to ‘change the landscape of the carbide hardmetals market’. They also expect it to be suitable for the civilian sector, as well as the needs of the DoD.
Across the three years, Desktop Metal will focus on the development of a feedstock and binder system capable of processing the novel Co-free material, use its Single Pass Jetting technology to print at least 200,000 parts in one day from a single machine, and deliver a cost analysis for scaling up this process to successfully manufacture at least 500,000 prototype pieces. Projected dual-use applications include cutting tools, abrasion and chemical-resistant nozzles, and a host of components and parts for the chemical and textile, agriculture and mining, oil and gas, steel, consumer, sporting goods, transport and aerospace industries.
“The novel Co-free hardmetal grade is expected to yield a high strength, high toughness, high hardness and high wear resistance material,” commented Dr. Nicholas Ku, Materials Engineer, CCDC Army Research Laboratory. “We believe combining this novel material with Desktop Metal’s Single Pass Jetting technology will have major applications not only in the defence sector but also in the commercial sector. Further, we believe this combined method will dramatically improve sustainability, reduce the use of a conflict mineral and provide an environmentally-friendly process to mass produce parts with superior properties.”
Desktop Metal's Production System was first unveiled in 2017 and is promising to enable the high volume additive manufacture of parts for companies operating in industries like aerospace and automotive. Per the company's website, the technology is currently able to facilitate the production of up to 10,000 parts on a single machine in a single day, based on internal estimates as of April 23, 2020. Through this project, Dr Animesh Bose, the principle investigator and VP of Special Projects at Desktop Metal, will work with some of the leading inventors of binder jetting technology at the company to refine the technology and reach the scales targeted by the DoD.
“The success in this project will not only provide the hardmetal community with their eagerly desired Co-free hardmetal solution, but also result in the development of a tool-free processing technique capable of fabricating this class of materials into extremely complex shaped parts at speeds that can rival most other high-volume manufacturing techniques, opening up new horizons in the area of hardmetals and its applications,” offered Dr Bose.
“This effort exemplifies the ability of National Center for Manufacturing Sciences and Advanced Manufacturing, Materials & Processes (AMMP) Consortium to link cutting edge technologies of non-traditional defence contractors with government agencies to meet existing needs and requirements,” added NCMS CEO Lisa Strama. “We look forward to the lasting impact this initiative will have within AMMP, the Army, and the broader community driving innovating Co-free hardmetal solutions across the services and industry at large.”
