Timothy Pumphrey
Linde DM gases
Industrial gases and engineering company Linde is supplying gases to Desktop Metal’s European customer base to help enhance the sintering of parts printed on the Studio System.
The ADDvance Sinter 250 is an advanced argon/hydrogen mixture that has been developed to deliver optimal atmospheric conditions within the sintering furnaces of Desktop Metal users, specifically for parts produced in stainless steel. Linde will also supply a pure argon 5.0 gas for the sintering of parts made with low alloy steel and tool steel powders.
These gases are said to help ensure the integrity and strength of parts printed on the Studio System and also help users to produce ‘quality’ prototypes and production parts at small batch volumes. The partners describe the atmospheric conditions within sintering furnaces ‘critical’, suggesting without them parts could oxidise, discolour and have their integrity weakened. With access to Linde’s gas solutions, users should now be able to have more success with their Studio System output, producing better quality parts more consistently.
“Linde has long been a pioneer in the development of innovative gas mixtures to optimise manufacturing processes. In this rapidly developing world of additive manufacturing, we are delighted to be collaborating with an innovator in the space such as Desktop Metal to supply gas mixture to their customers,” commented Pierre Forêt, Senior Expert Additive Manufacturing.
“Linde has developed a standard gas offering optimised for Studio System and is able to offer this streamlined solution to our European Desktop Metal customers,” added Arjun Aggarwal, VP of Business Development & Product. “This enables us to expand our horizons and bring added value to our business.”
The two companies have also agreed that Linde will supply customised installation kits to simplify the implementation of the Studio System, as well as consultancy services to advise on gas supply options and best practice for cylinder storage.
