Desktop Metal
Users of Desktop Metal’s Production System P-1 will now be able to process reactive metals like titanium and aluminium after the company launched the Reactive Safety Kit.
The P-1 Reactive Safety Kit has been in development and testing for more than two years and features ATEX-rated components, critical hardware and software updates to ensure the highest level of safety. ATEX certification is given to equipment that has undergone rigorous testing outlined by the European Union and is considered safe to use in specific environments with explosive atmospheres.
Desktop Metal’s P-1 benchtop 3D printing system forms part of the company’s Production System line. Powered by Desktop Metal’s patent-pending Single Pass Jetting technology, the P-1 is said to be able to complete part layers in less than three seconds – depending on the material. Building on this capability, Desktop Metal has sought to open its materials combability and enable the safe 3D printing of titanium and aluminium with binder jetting technology.
A number of Desktop Metal customers are already binder jetting titanium and aluminium today, with Detroit-based TriTech Titanium Parts printing parts in both materials, having tested the Reactive Safety Kit for two years. Desktop Metal says that it also has contracts with six ‘major manufacturers’ – four in the automotive industry, one in commercial lighting and one in medical implants – to scale titanium and aluminium projects, ‘with an eye on serial production of complex components.’
In line with these efforts, Desktop Metal has partnered with Kymera International to develop a range of metal powder solutions, with a titanium Ti64 grade already classified as Customer-Qualified on both the P-1 and X-series machines per the company’s three-tiered qualification system. Aluminium is now classified as Customer-Qualified on the X-Series and R&D Qualified on the P-1 when upgraded with an inert atmosphere and other safety features.
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“Titanium and aluminium are two of the most frequently requested materials at Desktop Metal, and we’re proud to say that we can now offer a commercial 3D printer with the necessary safety features to binder jet 3D print these materials,” said Ric Fulop, Founder and CEO of Desktop Metal. “Based on our ongoing projects with major manufacturers, we know our technology is well on its way to unlocking new designs that deliver higher performance, weight reductions, and other benefits – all with our high-speed 3D printing technology that makes additive manufacturing more affordable for production volumes. We are diligently following our roadmap to deliver high-volume production of these materials on our largest printers in the future.”
“Since formalising our partnership in 2021 through a Joint Development Agreement, we have been excited to work closely with Desktop Metal to develop a range of metal powder solutions optimised for the binder jetting process,” added Joe Croteau, Technology Manager – Specialty Materials with Kymera. “Kymera’s well-established relationships with a diverse group of customers has given us the opportunity to focus on the needs of high-volume manufacturers, and we are proud to now have a commercially established solution. Over the past two years, we’ve successfully printed a variety of aluminium geometries and part sizes through multiple programs."
“Our team at TriTech has found binder jetting to be a good complement to our metal injection moulding (MIM) business,” offered Robert Swenson, owner of TriTech and also the former owner of AmeriTi. Swenson is a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Metallurgical Engineering and an MBA from Harvard Business School. “With binder jet 3D printing, titanium production of even the most complex geometries can be greatly simplified and achieved at a lower cost. We’re excited to offer this cutting-edge manufacturing technology to our customers.”
The Desktop Metal Production System P-1, as well as an array of titanium and aluminium designs, including those 3D printed by TriTech, will be on display June 25-27 at RAPID + TCT at the Los Angeles Convention Center. DM will be located in Booth No. 2139.