Projektteam_Heraeus_TRUMPF
Heraeus AMLOY and TRUMPF to up to advance industrial 3D printing of amorphous metals. (Source: TRUMPF Group)
Heraeus AMLOY and TRUMPF have announced they are working together to improve the efficiencies and open up applications for 3D printing with amorphous metals.
Amorphous metals, also known as metallic glasses, are twice as strong as steel, yet light by nature and more elastic. They exhibit isotropic behaviour, which means regardless of the direction of printing, material properties remain identical.
The goal of the collaboration is to establish the additive manufacture of amorphous parts as a standard production method on the shop floor. Possible application areas include lightweight products subject to significant stresses in the aerospace and mechanical engineering sectors, and also medical devices due to their biocompatibility.
Jürgen Wachter, head of the Heraeus AMLOY business unit, said: "3D printing of amorphous components in industry is still in its infancy. This new collaboration will help us speed up printing processes and improve surface quality, ultimately cutting costs for customers. This will make the technology more suitable for a wider range of applications, some of which will be completely new."
Klaus Parey, managing director TRUMPF Additive Manufacturing, added: "Amorphous metals hold potential for numerous industries. For example, they can be used in medical devices - one of the most important industries for additive manufacturing. That's why we believe this collaboration is such a great opportunity to make even more inroads into this key market with our industrial 3D printing systems."
Heraeus AMLOY has optimised its amorphous alloys for 3D printing and tailored for use with TRUMPF's TruPrint systems. The most recent TruPrint 2000, for example, allows for any excess powder to be prepared in an inert gas environment for the subsequent building process, which is particularly important for amorphous metals which react quickly with oxygen. TRUMPF's systems are already compatible with zirconium-based alloys from Heraeus AMLOY but the partners are said to be working on making copper- and titanium-based alloys available next.
