A non-explosible aluminum alloy feedstock for additive manufacturing (AM) has been developed that reduces the hazards associated with day-to-day handling of materials for 3D printing.

MELD Manufacturing Corp. spun off a new business, MELD PrintWorks Corp., which will utilize MELD’s patented 3D-printing technology as an additive service addressing the needs of multiple industries that struggle to get forgings, castings and other metal parts. MELD Manufacturing will continue its focus on delivery of technology through machines, training and certification. MELD PrintWorks will have a singular focus on serving customer demand for printed parts made with MELD technology. The new company, which is an independent organization with separate management and operating teams, launched in a Virginia facility separate from MELD Manufacturing’s current factory.

Desktop Metal received a $9 million order from a German automaker for binder-jet additive-manufacturing systems used for the mass production of powertrain components. This is the second order from the same automaker in less than 12 months, bringing the total amount of production AM systems ordered to $16.9 million to support digitally casted powertrain components for a popular car line.

GKN Aerospace will relocate its North America additive manufacturing (AM) center of excellence to the Lone Star Commerce Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The 100,000-square-foot facility will initially house research and development of laser metal deposition with wire (LMD-w) AM technology for large-scale titanium aerostructures. Early in 2023, GKN Aerospace will transfer existing equipment and personnel from Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility in Tennessee to the new site in Texas. Over the next few years, GKN Aerospace expects to transform the facility into its fourth Global Technology Center to complement existing centers in Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

GKN Aerospace acquired Swedish additive-manufacturing system business Permanova Lasersystem AB as part of its goal to transform its supply chain and offer more sustainable and advanced material solutions. Permanova Lasersystem, based in Gothenburg, provides advanced laser technology and currently supplies laser welding and laser metal deposition systems to GKN Aerospace. The acquisition will strengthen GKN Aerospace’s additive fabrication, accelerate large-scale AM industrialization and enable future business growth. According to GKN Aerospace, additive manufacturing reduces material and energy usage by up to 80% compared to traditional manufacturing techniques.

One of the most critical innovations surrounding the extension of cold-spray materials processing from a non-structural repair or coating acquisition into a structural repair and solid-state additive manufacturing (AM) is the development of thermal-preprocessing technology for the feedstock powder.

NASA, FDA, NIH and the Departments of Energy and Defense: These are just a few of the government actors in the increasingly growing space of additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing

Velo3D Inc., a provider of metal additive-manufacturing (AM) technology, delivered a 3D printer to Knust-Godwin, a precision contract manufacturer. The acquisition of a laser powder-bed fusion printer further expands Knust-Godwin’s AM offering by unlocking high-volume production and lower costs for its largest customers. The Sapphire XC will be installed in the company’s Katy, Texas facility, and is calibrated for Inconel 718. It is capable of producing prints that are 600 mm (23.5 inches) in diameter and 550 mm (21.5 inches) high, and it uses eight 1-kilowatt lasers to produce parts.

Ipsen’s Vacuum Technology Excellence Center received orders for 22 vacuum furnaces during the first quarter of 2022. These orders spanned industries including automotive, additive manufacturing, aerospace, commercial heat treating, and tool and die. The company will design and supply models including large vertical bottom-loading units for aerospace to small vacuum debind and sinter furnaces for additive manufacturing. Other orders included those for Ipsen’s AvaC low-pressure carburizing furnace and high-pressure gas quenching used in conjunction with vacuum compression brazing.

Linde is developing a dedicated laboratory to advance the understanding of the parameters and behavior of atmospheric gases used in the manufacture of metal powders. The lab, which is scheduled to become operational mid-2022, will enable Linde to develop new technologies to improve the atomization process – particularly increasing yield and process stability. The facility’s focal point will be a much smaller-scale version (5.25 feet high) of a typical atomizer. Linde will also collaborate with powder manufacturers and OEMs to help them test specific gas behaviors on the test bench, allowing them to then scale up the results on their large atomizers.