The Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center Research & Development (OMIC R&D) selected a hot isostatic press (HIP) from Quintus Technologies to be a flagship piece of equipment when the research facility opens. The HIP will allow new research into 3D-printing technology and optimized material properties. The press model is equipped with uniform rapid cooling (URC), the proprietary Quintus technology that combines HIP and heat treatment in a single process. Accelerated cooling under pressure minimizes thermal distortion and improves material properties.

Operating at a temperature of 2550°F (1400°C) and a pressure of up to 30,000 psi (2070 bar), the HIP will give OMIC researchers the ability to study densification of metals as well as how HPHT can modify grain structure to enhance the mechanical properties of additively manufactured parts. The unit has a hot zone of 14.8 inches (375 mm) in diameter and 47.2 inches (1200 mm) in height.

The press will be housed in OMIC’s new 30,000-square-foot innovation center in Scappoose, approximately 20 miles north of Portland. Scheduled for groundbreaking in late 2021 and occupancy in 2022, the facility will be adjacent to the Portland Community College/OMIC Training Center, which serves students in machining, fabrication and mechatronics. Overseen by Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech), a public polytechnic university, OMIC R&D is a collaborative effort that brings together industry and higher education with government support to conduct applied research and advanced technical training. Its mission is to increase industrial competitiveness by developing new tools and techniques to address today’s manufacturing challenges, particularly in the aerospace, defense, transportation and metals sectors.

“After evaluating the needs of the industry, we concluded that HIP and HPHT would be critical sciences in the commercialization of Additive Manufacturing,” said OMIC Executive Director Craig Campbell.