Wall Colmonoy has fully installed what it says is the first Desktop Metal Shop System in the United Kingdom. Using Desktop Metal’s binder-jet technology, Wall Colmonoy can now offer affordable and fast metal 3D printing of small to medium parts. The Shop System complements the offerings of Wall Colmonoy’s Precision Components business. The division, based in Wales, encompasses a 23,500-square-foot machining facility and 19,000-square-foot casting foundry. The binder-jet printer will enable Wall Colmonoy to collaborate with customers by developing additive-manufacturing prototype or parts components, moving theoretical designs into proven applications without the restrictions of conventional subtractive manufacturing techniques. Components can be developed and manufactured for fit and function trials utilizing the company’s wear- and corrosion-resistant solutions for demanding applications or simply for end use in a desired application.

Hard lessons learned from the 2020 pandemic taught us that we needed to rebuild and re-establish our U.S. supply-chain ecosystem. The systemic shock to our global supply chains left us with bottlenecks, shortages and an acute awareness of our overdependence on imports.

Nikon Corp. acquired majority ownership of Morf3D Inc., a metal additive-manufacturing (AM) company specializing in AM and engineering for the aerospace, space and defense industries. El Segundo, Calif.-based Morf3D helps customers realize the potential of AM to solve complex design and manufacturing challenges. Using additive design and analytical tools combined with serial production experience, the company accelerates fully optimized functional structures and build processes.

Quintus Technologies will deliver a hot isostatic press (HIP) to the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Dresden, Germany. The HIP will permit researchers to refine processes for pressure-supported heat treatment, which is used to maximize theoretical density, ductility and fatigue resistance in high-performance materials. Applications for the new system include the hot isostatic pressing and heat treatment of specialty materials such as nickel-based superalloys and intermetallic compounds like titanium aluminides, as well as densification of the unconventional microstructures associated with additive manufacturing (AM).

In a project co-funded by Ford Motor Company and the ExOne Company, a team of engineers, material scientists and manufacturing experts developed a patent-pending process for rapid and reliable binder-jet 3D printing and sintering of aluminum that delivers properties comparable to die casting. Collaborative and individual patents are expected to be filed by Ford and ExOne as a result of this ongoing project. Some aluminum alloys can be 3D printed today using lasers, but the process is much slower than the one developed by Ford and ExOne. The new process is expected to increase Ford’s efficiency by allowing the company to affordably produce complex parts uniquely designed for additive manufacturing, which enables size and weight reductions, part consolidation and performance improvements.

A new online estimating tool is available for companies considering moving production of metal parts to high-speed binder-jet 3D printing.

Swedish heating technology company Kanthal and metals research institute Swerim will invest in ultra-modern atomizing equipment. The investment is worth approximately $2.39 million. The new equipment is designed for research and development of both materials and the atomizing process in the area of powder metallurgy (PM). It allows for atomizing of powder batches up to about 187 pounds (85 kg), both for additive manufacturing (AM) and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) applications. The unit has high material and process flexibility, which means great possibilities in development of materials and processes aiming toward both AM and PM.

Here is a complete list of all the feature articles – by topic – that appeared in Industrial Heating in 2020. The month each article appeared in is included. All articles are hyperlinked for your convenience.

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) demonstrated that a new class of superalloys made of cobalt and nickel remains crack-free and defect-resistant in extreme heat, making them conducive for use in metal-based 3D-printing applications. In a study, researchers processed the cobalt and nickel class of superalloys and proved that they remained crack-free in electron-beam and laser-melting 3D-printing processes. According to ORNL, the superalloys have the material properties necessary for challenging environments because they successfully withstood the heat and also retained strength when stretched.

3D Systems announced a planned expansion of its Rock Hill, S.C., facility. The company will add 100,000 square feet to the existing campus in an effort to consolidate its materials manufacturing, quality and logistics operations with new and expanded materials-development laboratories to improve operational efficiencies, accelerate solution development and reduce time to market. In addition, 3D Systems will expand its customer collaboration and training facilities, as well as its advanced-manufacturing capabilities for both metal and polymer components. These capabilities are critical to accelerating the move from proof-of-concept for new customer applications to full-scale workflow definition and initial industrial production.