ExOne has announced a collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the largest U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) open science laboratory, to advance 3D binder jetting additive manufacturing.
The partnership, which expands on an ongoing collaboration between the two organisations over the last four years, will initially focus on the development of cutting-edge technology for new binder systems. This will include optimisation of chemistry and process parameters for ExOne’s sand and metal systems leveraging ORNL’s instrumentation and advanced data analysis methodologies and DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility.
“We look forward to continuing binder jetting research with ExOne,” said Amy Elliott, ORNL lead researcher on binder jetting. “Over the past several years, we’ve worked with ExOne on four binder jetting systems and we’ve made exceptional progress in enhancing this additive manufacturing technique. Industry collaborations such as this help the U.S. remain competitive in manufacturing.”
In addition, the collaboration aims to optimise binder development for H13 Tool Steel as ORNL aims for the production of 500 tools and dies by 2022 for the moulding, stamping and forging industries. The initiative is expected to establish binder jetting as the leading low-cost method for the fabrication of advanced tooling.
Rick Lucas, ExOne’s Chief Technology Officer added: “By collaborating with a world-class lab like Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we accelerate ExOne’s binder jetting technology capabilities. We believe these collaborative efforts will effectively and efficiently result in the establishment of new materials, binders and process developments, retaining our significant edge over competitors and other technologies in the industrial manufacturing space."
ExOne recently launched its high-resolution X1 25PRO production machine, a scale up of its Innovent+ platform and capable of printing with metal, ceramic, and other advanced materials. The system, which will be formally unveiled at RAPID + TCT later this month, will start shipping to customers later this year.
