Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CMF (Metal Additive Manufacturing with sinter-based Cold Metal Fusion Technology for mass production of metal parts)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-04-01 bis 2024-03-31
The current generation of Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies usually exhibit limited output, high part costs and small selection of available materials which limits their application to prototypes and small batches.
ColdMetalFusion (CMF) is a patented 3D printing approach which successfully combines the sinter-based approach used in Powder Metallurgy (PM) with the 3D printing process Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) which is widely used to print plastic parts. The combination of the existing and widely used PM and AM processes within ColdMetalFusion is based on a new and unique material developed and manufactured by Headmade Materials.
Part produced with ColdMetalFusion achieves superior characteristics compared to other metal 3D printing technologies and is a perfect replacement or extension of traditional manufacturing methods. ColdMetalFusion sets the standard for the volume production of new, better and affordable products.
ColdMetalFusion (CMF) is a patented 3D printing approach which successfully combines the sinter-based approach used in Powder Metallurgy (PM) with the 3D printing process Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) which is widely used to print plastic parts. The combination of the existing and widely used PM and AM processes within ColdMetalFusion is based on a new and unique material developed and manufactured by Headmade Materials.
Part produced with ColdMetalFusion achieves superior characteristics compared to other metal 3D printing technologies and is a perfect replacement or extension of traditional manufacturing methods. ColdMetalFusion sets the standard for the volume production of new, better and affordable products.
The technical goal of the project is to increase the number of available materials and the number of supported process equipment (printers, etc.) for the ColdMetalFusion technology. Another main goal is the scale-up of the production process for the developed ColdMetalFusion materials.
The portfolio of available materials for ColdMetalFusion was increased by four commercially available materials and four project-based materials. Six additional materials are still in the beta testing phase. Commercially available materials include Stainless Steel 17/4PH, Tool Steel M2, Inconel 625 and Titanium-Alumind Ti4822. Commercially available means that these materials are fully qualified for ColdMetalFusion and on stock for part production. The project-based materials include Low Steel Alloy 4140, two Tungsten Heavy Metal Alloys and a specific Stainless Steel 316L alloy for a defined part porosity. Project-based alloys are available for the development and manufacturing of applications for a specific user-group but not on stock in larger quantities. Beta materials like Tungsten-Carbide, Tool Steel H13 and other alloys are still under development in the beta testing phase, which means there are currently live tested and analysed with pilot customer and specific applications. The release of the beta materials is expected within the next 6 to 12 month.
The portfolio of qualified machines and therefore the possible combination of ColdMetalFusion process chains could be expanded considerably during the project. Feedstock materials can be processed on EOS Formiga P110, EOS P7, Sinterit Lisa, Sintratec S2, Sintratec S3, Nexa QLS230, Nexa QLS 236 and on a Farsoon HT252P. Further qualified equipment includes the solvent debinding portfolio from LÖMI and multiple sintering furnaces, especially with CarboliteGero and MUT Advanced Heating. The effort in the qualification of additional equipment for ColdMetalFusion also included the development of a 8 litre (CMF Sinter 8) low-budget entry-level sintering furnace with CarboliteGero.
We are founding member of the ColdMetalFusion Alliance, an Alliance of 12 industry leaders from 3D printing, postprocessing, sintering and powder metallurgy. The goal of the alliance is to push the adoption of metal 3D for volume production. First products of the alliance are the turn-key solutions LabSystem and JobShop. The LabSystem is an entry-level ColdMetalFusion process chain consisting of a Sintratec S2 laser sintering system, a Lömi CMF Debind 30 debinding system and a CarboliteGero CMF Sinter 8 sintering furnace. The JobShop is a production-level ColdMetalFusion process chain consisting of a Farsoon HT252P laser sintering system, a Lömi CMF Debind 50 debinding system and a CarboliteGero CMF Sinter 25 sinter furnace. Both systems are optimised for the materials of Headmade and are offered as a turn-key solution for customers.
To make the materials for ColdMetalFusion available for customers in high volume with highest quality, a new proprietary production method for the material was developed and will be further optimized. The new production method allows the production of higher quality materials and can be scaled up more easily.
The portfolio of available materials for ColdMetalFusion was increased by four commercially available materials and four project-based materials. Six additional materials are still in the beta testing phase. Commercially available materials include Stainless Steel 17/4PH, Tool Steel M2, Inconel 625 and Titanium-Alumind Ti4822. Commercially available means that these materials are fully qualified for ColdMetalFusion and on stock for part production. The project-based materials include Low Steel Alloy 4140, two Tungsten Heavy Metal Alloys and a specific Stainless Steel 316L alloy for a defined part porosity. Project-based alloys are available for the development and manufacturing of applications for a specific user-group but not on stock in larger quantities. Beta materials like Tungsten-Carbide, Tool Steel H13 and other alloys are still under development in the beta testing phase, which means there are currently live tested and analysed with pilot customer and specific applications. The release of the beta materials is expected within the next 6 to 12 month.
The portfolio of qualified machines and therefore the possible combination of ColdMetalFusion process chains could be expanded considerably during the project. Feedstock materials can be processed on EOS Formiga P110, EOS P7, Sinterit Lisa, Sintratec S2, Sintratec S3, Nexa QLS230, Nexa QLS 236 and on a Farsoon HT252P. Further qualified equipment includes the solvent debinding portfolio from LÖMI and multiple sintering furnaces, especially with CarboliteGero and MUT Advanced Heating. The effort in the qualification of additional equipment for ColdMetalFusion also included the development of a 8 litre (CMF Sinter 8) low-budget entry-level sintering furnace with CarboliteGero.
We are founding member of the ColdMetalFusion Alliance, an Alliance of 12 industry leaders from 3D printing, postprocessing, sintering and powder metallurgy. The goal of the alliance is to push the adoption of metal 3D for volume production. First products of the alliance are the turn-key solutions LabSystem and JobShop. The LabSystem is an entry-level ColdMetalFusion process chain consisting of a Sintratec S2 laser sintering system, a Lömi CMF Debind 30 debinding system and a CarboliteGero CMF Sinter 8 sintering furnace. The JobShop is a production-level ColdMetalFusion process chain consisting of a Farsoon HT252P laser sintering system, a Lömi CMF Debind 50 debinding system and a CarboliteGero CMF Sinter 25 sinter furnace. Both systems are optimised for the materials of Headmade and are offered as a turn-key solution for customers.
To make the materials for ColdMetalFusion available for customers in high volume with highest quality, a new proprietary production method for the material was developed and will be further optimized. The new production method allows the production of higher quality materials and can be scaled up more easily.
The above mentioned technical project results will overall lead to more available and better materials which will strongly improve the relevance of metal 3D printing for the production of metal parts in volumes up to 1,000,000 parts/year and that with a material selection not available with current 3D printing technologies or also traditional manufacturing methods.
A large part of the quality improvement in our technology is tide to our new proprietary production process which will further increase the quality of our feedstock and therefore the processability and finally the quality of the produced parts. Furthermore, we are confident that the new production process will also reduce production costs and will facilitate the development of a greater number of possible applications for ColdMetalFusion.
As a result of our technical work in the project and to strengthen our competitive position, we filed nine patents around material composition/features and processes.
Beside the finalization of the technical work packages, we put a high effort in the commercialisation of the ColdMetalFusion technology and materials, especially by developing lighthouse applications with customers and drive forward the internationalisation.
A large part of the quality improvement in our technology is tide to our new proprietary production process which will further increase the quality of our feedstock and therefore the processability and finally the quality of the produced parts. Furthermore, we are confident that the new production process will also reduce production costs and will facilitate the development of a greater number of possible applications for ColdMetalFusion.
As a result of our technical work in the project and to strengthen our competitive position, we filed nine patents around material composition/features and processes.
Beside the finalization of the technical work packages, we put a high effort in the commercialisation of the ColdMetalFusion technology and materials, especially by developing lighthouse applications with customers and drive forward the internationalisation.