BEAMIT
BEAMIT has added the aluminium alloy Al2024 RAM2C to its metal additive manufacturing services to support customers in the motorsport, automotive and aeronautical markets.
Produced via a process parameterised in BEAMIT, the Al2024 RAM2C aluminium alloy from Elementum 3D is said to be tough, lightweight and performs better at room and high temperatures compared to other alloys currently in use, per BEAMIT. Such characteristics, the company believes, make the material suitable for parts close to vehicle engines like the suspension and structural components of the powertrain.
Aluminium 2024 is commonly used for structural parts in the aforementioned sectors, but BEAMIT is hoping to enable ‘new horizons for the future of design’ with additive manufacturing, producing products that are lighter, higher performing, and bring down energy consumption and cost.
“Our priority is to offer customers advanced materials and processes so they can transfer these innovations directly and effortlessly to their products,” commented BEAMIT Group President Mauro Antolotti. “This continually evolving advancement is an integral part of our Group’s long-term strategies and supported by a strong, well-organised team focused on achieving even more competitive results.”
Typically, aluminium 2024 has been difficult to process via additive manufacturing because of its composition, yet Elementum 3D’s patented RAM additions and a custom-made heat treatment cycle are said to address these issues. Applying the custom-made heat treatment to the Al2024 material, BEAMIT says it is able to ‘find repeatable stable processes and guarantee maximum performance.’ The company is now working on parameterising the high-pressure heat treatment process in collaboration with its post-processing subsidiary PRES-X.
“The 2024 alloy perfectly embodies what we mean when we talk about the integrated development of the additive process,” offered BEAMIT Group General Manager Andrea Scanavini. “It has been made possible by a multidisciplinary research group and access to unique machinery to study and apply top-level precision processes to achieve a result like we did in this case, which we can safely say is decidedly extraordinary.”
BEAMIT has placed a focus on expanding its additive manufacturing materials offering this year with the backing of Sandvik, who acquired a 30% stake in the company in 2019. Together, they co-launched the Osprey 2507 super-duplex stainless-steel in April which has opened up opportunities in the marine sector. BEAMIT spoke to TCT in the latest issue of TCT Magazine, where Scanavini outlined the company's ambitions and offered insights on the series of acquisitions it has made over the last 18 months.
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