A Wisconsin company has produced a stainless steel turbine blade nearly 6 feet long using a continuous 30-hour production run. The structure is 20 inches wide, is hollow inside and has 0.5-mm-wide side walls. It weighs 135 pounds.

The Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has awarded a $15 million contract to 3D Systems, Rock Hill, S.C., to create “the world’s largest, fastest, most precise metal 3D printer.”

A new project, AddSteel, coordinated by SMS Group GmbH aims to develop new function-adapted AM steel materials. One of AddSteel’s first reported successes was the development of case-hardenable and heat-treatable steel powders.

A research project – High Strength Aluminium Powder for Additive Manufacture (HighSAP) – to further develop and optimize Aeromat International’s AM powder, A20X, has resulted in “one of the strongest aluminum additive manufacturing powders commercially available.” 

China’s largest aluminum extrusion company and its former president and chairman were accused of hatching a scheme to avoid paying $1.8 billion in tariffs by disguising “huge amounts” of aluminum as pallets and smuggling the material into the U.S., according to a federal indictment.

The share of aluminum in the overall weight of an average car has increased from 80 pounds in the 1970s to more than 350 pounds today. Manufacturing aluminum, however, is very energy-intensive.

Titanium’s high melting point (3200°F) and cost can be challenging. 3D printing and its relatively low cost, however, have opened many doors for the nonferrous material. The process allows titanium to be used in complex shapes such as replacement parts of a jaw bone, heel and hip in surgery.

Russian scientists doped aluminum melt with nickel and lanthanum to create a material combining the benefits of composite materials and standard alloys, including strength and flexibility. The researchers say the proposed material can be used in the aerospace and automotive industries, and it can even be utilized in the design of modern robotics.

The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) certified three Alcoa-operated locations, one in each of the company’s three business units. The ASI certifications are valid for three years and include the Juruti bauxite mine in Brazil, the Alumar alumina refinery near São Luís, Brazil and the aluminum smelter in San Ciprián, Spain.

Automotive Aluminum Advisors added three globally recognized aluminum industry technology experts to its team. All three are former employees at Alcoa. The consultant group has three focus areas: automotive supplier business development, aluminum technology and engineering, and advanced research and development.