Metal 3D Printing
We can 3D print your parts in a wide range of metal materials.
Most important metal 3D printing technologies
DMLS / DMP
(Direct Metal Laser Sintering)
DMLS or DMP is the most well-known metal 3D printing technology. It uses a laser for sintering very thin layers of metal powder to create a 3D metal object. It is used to produce very complex geometries in great detail which is a clear advantage compared to the conventional manufacturing methods.
The 3D printed part has excellent mechanical properties as its isotropic, and they tend to have higher strength and degree of hardness compared to the parts made by traditional manufacturing techniques.
DMLS / DMP Applications
DMLS additive manufacturing technology is ideal for functional prototypes and for parts with challenging geometries. It is also applicable to objects with high level of detail and very tight tolerances such as tools and manufacturing small batches of parts.
It is used in aerospace and automotive industries, medical devices, dental sector, jewellery and chemistry.
SLM
Selective laser melting
This technology is very similar to DMLS as the main principle of using a laser for sintering metal powder is the same. The main difference is that while DMLS creates parts from metal alloys, SLM creates final objects from single metals.
In this method, the metal is melted in the build chamber, which is filled with inert gas. Thin layers of metal powder laid on the bed of the 3D printer. Every time the layer scans and lays the metal on top of the previous one repeating the steps until the completion of the 3D model. In SLM the produced part has even higher strength and better mechanical properties comparing to DMLS due to the actual melting process of the metal, which creates a more isotropic result of the part with extremely low porosity.
SLM Applications
The application of SLM is very much the same as DMLS. However, this method’s advantage is that the produced parts will perform better where more fatigue and high stress is required. SLM produces parts equal to castings making it the ideal method for applications where better mechanical properties are needed.
Post-Processing
This step is vital to finally produce a clean and aesthetically excellent 3D metal part with the methods of DMLS or SLM.
➢ Remove the model supports
➢ Remove any loose metal powder
➢ Manually clean the part
➢ Heat treat the produced part (if required) to improve and stabilise its mechanical properties as well as to relieve any residual stresses left inside the part during the process.
➢ CNC machining (if required) for fine details
➢ Apply blasting (if required) to improve surface quality and part’s appearance
➢ Metal plating (if required)
➢ Polishing to improve surface quality and part’s appearance
EBM
(Electron beam melting)
In Electron Beam Melting Technology, the name self explains the application as an electron beam is produced by an electro-gun is used (instead of a CO2 laser as in DMLS or SLM) to fuse metal particles and form one layer after the other the 3D model. Firstly, the metal powder will fill the printer’s tank and it will be laid in very thin layers. After that, it will be preheated and will be fused by the electro-gun repeating those steps and printing layer by layer a very highly detailed 3D object. Important to mention is that for such a technique, the material must be conductive; otherwise, this method is not applicable.
EBM Applications
This approach is mostly used in aeronautical and military industries as well as in medical engineering and design of implants such as hip prosthetics using titanium alloys.
EBM Post-Processing
After allowing some time for the parts to cool down there are a number of options that can be followed for post processing to EBM manufacture a 3D printed model.
➢ Remove the model supports
➢ CNC machining (if required) for fine details
➢ Apply blasting (if required) to improve surface quality and part’s appearance
➢ Coating (if required)
➢ Polishing to improve surface quality and part’s appearance
Available metal 3D printing materials
Aluminum
Stainless Steel
Titanium
Cobalt Chrome
Nickel Superalloys (Inconel)
The main benefits of 3D metal printing
➢ In conventional methods the cost is decreasing as the volume increases meaning in very high volumes a normal fabrication process becomes very cheap. In other methods like casting or injection moulding, there is always the high cost of the matrix (tool) to start producing parts which they need to be made in such volumes to exceed the cost of tooling. On the other hand, the cost in 3D metal printing as well as the rest of 3D printing methods, is irrelevant to volume and is consistent regardless of whether it is a single part or a batch that is to be produced.
➢ In metal 3D printing the complexity is irrelevant to cost too. Selecting metal 3D printing is an automated process, and the higher the complexity of a geometry the more justifiable is the cost of manufacturing. Again, in conventional manufacturing operations, the cost will be skyrocketed as the manufacturing of a detailed high-level part needs to pass a few methods which every time add on more cost.
➢ 3D metal printing has less than 5% waste of material as the loose metal powder can be reused in the next printing task. To be able to produce a very challengeable geometry with standard manufacturing techniques it will have to be a result of milling, CNC machining, micromachining or casting followed by machining. With all those methods, the waste is excessive and exceeds 40% of the material while also significant is the amount of energy need to be consumed to operate the above machines. Hence, it is reasonable to say that the automated metal 3D printing method has significantly less material waste and smaller environmental footprint compared to conventional manufacturing operations.