PIM International March 2021

Vol. 15 No. 1 MARCH 2021

FOR THE MIM, CIM AND SINTER-BASED AM INDUSTRIES

in this issue Bosch Advanced Ceramics & Lithoz Expansion at Demcon MIM ExOne and the story of Binder Jetting Published by Inovar Communications Ltd

www.pim-international.com

CataMIM® • A direct replacement for all current commercially available catalytic debind feedstocks • Improved flow • Stronger green and brown parts • More materials available and better surface finish

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• Custom scale-up factors available • Faster cycle times • 65°C / 150°F mold temperature

AquaMIM® • Water Debind • Custom scale-up factors available • Large selection of available materials

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SolvMIM® • Solvent, Super Critical Fluid Extraction (SFE) or Thermal Debind methods • Hundreds of materials available • Custom scale-up factors available

FEEDSTOCKS • At RYER, all our feedstocks are manufactured to the highest level of quality, with excellent batch-to-batch repeatability.

• RYER is the ONLY commercially available feedstock manufacturer to offer all five debind methods.

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• RYER offers technical support for feedstock selection, injection molding, debinding and sintering.

RYER, Inc. | 42625 Rio Nedo Unit B | Temecula, CA 92590 | USA | Tel: +1 951 296 2203 Email: dave@ryerinc.com | www.ryerinc.com

Publisher & Editorial Offices Inovar Communications Ltd 11 Park Plaza Battlefield Enterprise Park Shrewsbury SY1 3AF United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1743 211991 www.pim-international.com Managing Director & Editor Nick Williams nick@inovar-communications.com

For the MIM, CIM and sinter-based AM industries

Group News Editor Paul Whittaker paul@inovar-communications.com Deputy Editor Emily-Jo Hopson-VandenBos emily-jo@inovar-communications.com Assistant Editor Kim Hayes kim@inovar-communications.com Production Manager Hugo Ribeiro hugo@inovar-communications.com

Advertising Jon Craxford, Advertising Sales Director Tel: +44 (0)207 1939 749 jon@inovar-communications.com

Consulting Editors

Prof Randall M German Former Professor of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University, USA Dr Yoshiyuki Kato Kato Professional Engineer Office, Yokohama, Japan Professor Dr Frank Petzoldt Deputy Director, Fraunhofer IFAM, Bremen, Germany Dr David Whittaker DWA Consulting, Wolverhampton, UK Bernard Williams Consultant, Shrewsbury, UK Subscriptions Powder Injection Moulding International is published on a quarterly basis as either a free digital publication or via a paid print subscription.

The annual print subscription charge for four issues is £145.00 including shipping.

Accuracy of contents Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the publisher accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising there from. Inovar Communications Ltd cannot be held responsible for views or claims expressed by contributors or advertisers, which are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Advertisements Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical standards, inclusion in this publication does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of such product or of the claims made by its manufacturer.

Reproduction, storage and usage Single photocopies of articles may be made for personal use in accordance with national copyright laws. All rights reserved. Except as outlined above, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher and copyright owner.

Printed by Cambrian Printers, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom ISSN 1753-1497 (print) ISSN 2055-6667 (online) Vol. 15 No. 1 March 2021 © 2021 Inovar Communications Ltd

Rose-tinted glasses not required There is a temptation when writing an editorial to put on rose-tinted glasses and make everything look as good as you can. Keep things upbeat, present the industries that we cover in the best possible light, and try to ignore any storm clouds on the horizon, which surely won’t be coming our way.

So, when it comes to this issue of PIM International, there’s a dilemma. I haven’t yet put on the tinted glasses, but things already look distinctly rosy. The world around us has had a torrid twelve months dealing with the pandemic, and most people still look to the future with hesitancy; nevertheless, the message from the companies featured in the articles in this issue is one of distinct optimism.

As we report on page 65, leading German CIM specialist Bosch Advanced Ceramics is fully embracing the potential of ceramic Additive Manufacturing for series production, whilst Dutch MIM producer Demcon is seeing the fruits of its modernisation programme (page 77).

In the US, ExOne, is benefiting from a surge in interest in series production using metal Binder Jetting technology, led in part by those in the MIM industry (page 87), whilst in China and Taiwan, 2020 appears to have been another record breaking year for MIM production, despite the impact of COVID-19 (page 99).

There are, of course, many companies in our sector that have been hit hard by the global pandemic, particularly those in the aerospace and automotive supply sector, for example. The overall message, however, is that MIM, CIM and sinter-based AM have shown remarkable resilience in the face of global turmoil.

Nick Williams, Managing Director & Editor

Cover image

View inside a fully automated quality inspection machine at Bosch Advanced Ceramics used for the quality control of ceramic parts, including series parts produced by AM (Courtesy Bosch Advanced Ceramics)

March 2021 Powder Injection Moulding International

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LEARN MORE

exone.com/metaldesignlab

FROM THE OFFICE TO THE FACTORY FLOOR 3D printing metal starts and ends here.

• The ExOne Metal Designlab™ and X1F furnace is the world’s fastest bound-metal office 3D printing system • Parts are 3D printed with HydroFuse™, an innovative water-based paste containing metal powders • This true Print Today, Parts Tomorrow™ technology by Rapidia begins shipping in the second quarter of 2021 • The ExOne family of production metal 3D printers, shown below, can process 20+ metals and ceramics • InnoventPro™, shipping by year-end, will be the most advanced entry-level binder jetting system for metal

Pictured left to right: InnoventPro™, X1 25Pro®, X1 160Pro™ and X1D1 automated guided vehicle.

March 2021

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In this issue 65

Bosch Advanced Ceramics: Driving ceramic Additive Manufacturing for series production with Lithoz

If you were looking to build a ‘dream team’ to drive the series production capabilities of ceramic Additive Manufacturing, there’s a good chance that Bosch Advanced Ceramics and Lithoz would be high on your list. Both are pioneers in their respective fields: Bosch, a global multinational and in many ways the original Ceramic Injection Moulding company, and Lithoz, a ‘startup that has grown up’ and is now a global leader in ceramic AM machines. PIM International’s Nick Williams tells the story of their cooperation and their mission to use ceramic AM for series production. >>>

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High precision, flexibility and intensive customer support: How Demcon MIM is planning ahead for long-term growth

Since the early days of Powder Injection Moulding in Europe, the Netherlands has been home to a highly capable MIM and CIM industry, including a number of companies which have been featured in previous issues of PIM International.

In this article, Dr Georg Schlieper reports on a recent visit to Demcon Metal Injection Moulding, a company that is enjoying success in a diverse range of markets and has an ambitious strategy for efficiency-driven long term growth. >>>

Vol. 15 No. 1 © 2021 Inovar Communications Ltd

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Playing the long game: The story of Binder Jetting, and ExOne’s view on a rapidly evolving technology landscape

Being ahead of one’s time can be both a blessing and a challenge.

The story of The ExOne Company, the pioneer of metal Binder Jetting, well illustrates this. Now, as interest in the technology surges, the company finds itself competing with a host of wellfunded and ambitious rivals.

In this article, ExOne’s Sarah Webster takes a look back at the company’s journey – one that, despite being marred by tragedy, defined a path that now puts it in a strong position to compete in a rapidly evolving technology landscape. >>>

March 2021 Powder Injection Moulding International

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Riding the storm: A review of progress in China and Taiwan’s MIM industry during 2020

Greater China’s Metal Injection Moulding industry has witnessed extraordinary growth over the past decade, driven by the booming demand from the consumer electronics industry.

As Chinese MIM industry consultant Dr Chiou Yau Hung, widely known as Dr Q, explains, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic did little to derail progress in China and Taiwan.

On the contrary, the global demand for 3C devices such as computers and smartphones had the effect of driving MIM output to record levels.

Together with his colleague James Chao, Dr Q reports on the impact of 2020 on Greater China’s MIM output and highlights industry trends. >>>

107 Advanced Powder Injection Moulding process developments presented at Euro PM2020

Within the programme of the successful Euro PM2020 Virtual Congress, organised by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) and held October 5–7, 2020, a technical session, comprising three papers, addressed advanced process developments in Powder Injection Moulding.

In this review, Dr David Whittaker reports on these presentations that addressed the opportunities around single-use moulds, advanced part customisation, and cobalt-free diamond composite for cutting tool applications. >>>

• Low weight • Good mechanical stability • Low heat capacity • Solvent and acid resistant • high open porosity • dust- and particle-free surface • homogeneous shrinkage • Absorbtion of the binder into the pores during the debindering process • Very smooth surface finish • Compatibility to Molybdenum, CFC, RSiC • Good to very good thermal shock resistance • Handling and assembly with robots possible

Al2O3 ZrO2 LTCC Dentalceramics

MIM

Regular features...

Keramische Folien GmbH & Co. KG

09 News

Tel.: +49 (0) 96 45 - 88 300 cts@kerafol.com

119 Advertisers’ index & buyer’s guide

Discover the leading suppliers of materials and equipment for MIM, CIM and sinter-based AM, as well as part manufacturing partners and more. >>>

122 Events guide

View a list of upcoming events for the MIM, CIM & sinterbased AM industries. >>>

Vol. 15 No. 1 © 2021 Inovar Communications Ltd

March 2021 Powder Injection Moulding International

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Leaders in MIM/AM Debind + Sinter.

Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

Elnik’s innovations and experiences in all areas of temperature and atmosphere management have led us to become the benchmark for the Batch-based Debind and Sinter equipment industry. We have applied these core competencies across a wide variety of industries through our 50 year history and look forward to the emergence of new technologies that will continue to drive demand for new innovative products. Elnik is your partner for the future.

Innovation drives our manufacturing and design solutions Quality takes precedence in all areas of our business Experience motivates our team to always do what’s right Excellence is the benchmark for all customer relationships From First Stage Debind Equipment (Catalytic, Solvent, Water) and Second Stage Debind & Sinter Furnaces (All Metal or Graphite) to support with ancillary utility equipment, Elnik’s experienced team is driven to be the only partner you need for all your MIM and Metal AM equipment needs.

Innovation. Quality. Experience. Excellence.

107 Commerce Road | Cedar Grove, NJ 07009 USA | +1 973.239.6066 | elnik.com 8

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Vol. 15 No. 1

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Industry News MIM F75 alloy sees growing success in 3C applications, including Apple’s iPhone 12 Since their first introduction, mobile phones, and later smartphones, have relied on Metal Injection Moulding to deliver extremely high volumes of small, complex, high-precision components. From the earliest SIM card trays and volume buttons, applications have evolved to include connectors and, more recently, multi-lens camera frames.

China’s MIM industry has been at the heart of this revolution, despite the country being a relative latecomer to the MIM scene. Metal powder supplier Jingye Lide Powder, based in Shijiazhuang, China, saw the potential in the growing Metal Injection Moulding industry in 2011, having been established in the wider metal powder industry for a number of years.

The company has recently reported that it is seeing a significant shift in the materials mix for MIM products for the 3C industry, and states that F75, in particular, is experiencing profound growth. A cobalt chrome alloy most commonly used in the medical industry thanks to its biocompatibility, F75 offers high strength, resistance to wear and corrosion, and is non-magnetic. The company stated that 2020’s iPhone 12 marks the first utilisation of MIM F75 in the iPhone’s camera lens mounting frame.

Lide reports that, thanks to its powders being used widely across the 3C industry, it has become one of the leading producers of atomised powders and will soon have an annual production capacity of 36,000 tons of metal powder.

The company also believes that 5G will see a further increase in the use of MIM technology as smartphone makers design ever more complex components whilst seeking production flexibility and cost efficiency, as well as demanding the use of technologies such as MIM that offer increased environmental protection. www.lidemimpowder.com

Apple’s iPhone 12 reportedly uses MIM F75 for the phone’s multi-lens camera frame (Courtesy Apple)

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WHEN CONSISTENCY IS KEY THE RIGHT PARTNER IS EVERYTHING History is important – as are innovations. Just imagine what 158 years of materials expertise and nearly half a century in powder atomization could do for you. Sandvik adds true value to your business through world leading R&D and the widest range of metal powders on the market — including Osprey® nickel-free stainless steel and premium titanium powder, tailored to perfection for technologies such as metal injection molding. Our in-house atomizing facilities produce customized and highly consistent metal powders with excellent morphology, at any fraction your process requires.

So, when you expect more than just a material... The right partner is everything.

MEET OUR METAL POWDER AND ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING EXPERTS AT NACE 2021 | April 19-30 | nacecorrosion.org PM China 2021 | May 23-25 | pmexchina.com TCT Asia 2021 | May 26-28 | tctasia.cn Additive by Sandvik: Material Matters | Interactive webinar series | metalpowder.sandvik/webinar

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EXPLORE OUR MARKET-LEADING RANGE OF FINE METAL POWDERS

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March 2021

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G-M Enterprises secures multimillion dollar order from global MIM producer G-M Enterprises, a Nitrex company in Corona, California, USA, has received a multimillion-dollar order from a global MIM manufacturer to supply two large horizontal vacuum furnaces. These 2-bar vacuum sintering furnaces feature a work area of 900 x 762 x 2100 mm, 1995 kg weight capacity, a maximum operating temperature of 1430°C and temperature uniformity of +/- 5.5°.

Integral to the vacuum system configuration is an efficient multistage debinder trap system, designed to thermally extract binder from the parts. Sintering and debinding occur in a single cycle using a system design that is

optimised to handle the maximum load capacity the furnace is designed for.

Consequently, the company stated there is never a need to operate below the rated load capacity to achieve the required part quality. The high-temperature sintering process also ensures a high-quality finished part surface in terms of density, porosity, mechanical resistance and aesthetics.

“This latest order comes from a customer we have had a strong cooperation with, and which will be part of a series of multiple furnaces provided by G-M Enterprises over the past decades. G-M Enterprises was carefully selected because of

Industry News

our ability to meet the customer’s large-scale design requirements and to optimise the furnace performance, our competitive lead time, as well as the predictable and repeatable metallurgical results,” stated Michel Frison, VP Global Sales, Nitrex and G-M Enterprises.

G-M Enterprises has over forty years of experience in the thermal processing industry and currently functions as a leading manufacturer of high-temperature vacuum furnaces and hot zones developed and used for a variety of heattreating applications for a variety of industries, including aerospace, nuclear, power turbine, medical, tool and dies, Metal Injection Moulding and Additive Manufacturing, among others.

Both furnaces are expected to be operating by the end of Q1 2021. www.gmenterprises.com

Ex-MIM specialists at FreeFORM Technologies purchase ExOne’s Innovent+ The ExOne Company, North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, USA, reports that FreeFORM Technologies, St Marys, Pennsylvania, USA, an Additive Manufacturing contract manufacturer and engineering service bureau focused on metal Binder Jetting (BJT), has accepted delivery of its first AM machine, ExOne’s Innovent+. FreeFORM Technologies was established by a team of engineers experienced in MIM and PM, and the company aims to promote the further adoption of BJT throughout the industry.

Launched in 2016, the Innovent range of AM machines has become the world’s best selling and most researched metal BJT machine, states the company. The Innovent+ features ExOne’s patented Triple Advanced Compaction Technology (ACT), delivering industry-leading quality and repeatability, with final dimensional tolerances routinely below 1% with tuning.

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FreeFORM intends to focus primarily on metal part production with stainless steels such as 17-4PH and 316L, as well as M2 tool steel. The company also plans to qualify materials internally and for customer-specific applications.

“ExOne is proud to partner with the innovative and experienced team at FreeFORM, who will help customers tap the incredible value offered by our high-speed Binder Jetting technology,” stated John Hartner, ExOne’s CEO. “This team demonstrates how Binder Jetting is a perfect complement to Metal Injection Moulding operations.”

Nate Higgins, FreeFORM president, commented, “We believe metal Binder Jetting is a revolutionary technology that represents the next generation of metal production using metal powders. We’re excited to begin producing parts on our Innovent+ and to help customers tap the benefits of complex metal

ExOne’s Innovent+ (Courtesy The ExOne Company)

parts without the need for expensive tooling.”

“Binder Jetting can also affordably produce lower volumes of MIM-like parts and consolidated or lightweight parts that deliver more value. We’re committed to providing world-class engineering and manufacturing services around Binder Jetting,” he concluded. www.exone.com www.freeformtech.com

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Industry News

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Additive Manufacturing enables rapid prototyping for Smith Metal Products Smith Metal Products, Center City, Minnesota, USA, reports that it is now producing quick-return prototypes, similar to those manufactured by Metal Injection Moulding, via Binder Jetting (BJT).

The company uses the metal Additive Manufacturing technology to offer parts to customers for initial in-person evaluation, before series production by MIM begins.

Smith’s new BJT capability is designed to support its customer’s research & development efforts, reducing time-to-market developmental programmes and the need for initial mould building. Producing these prototypes with AM is faster and more versatile than doing so with MIM, which requires the

These additively manufactured parts support customer’s R&D efforts, providing a bridge to MIM end products (Courtesy Smith Metal Products) production of expensive test moulds, or CNC machined prototypes.

Since lead times are reduced, customers can make last-minute adjustments before the final MIM mould is established, thus achieving greater customer confidence in the end result.

Materials for use with its new system include all those available in Smith Metals’ standard MIM offering,

Arburg plans to extend its Technology Days 2021 to enable an ‘in-person’ event Arburg GmbH + Co KG, Lossburg, Germany, has announced it will host its Technology Days event at its headquarters in Lossburg from June 7–12, 2021. To ensure it can deliver the event to the invited audience in a way that is COVID-secure, the company has extended the event by two days.

“Although we have pushed on with our hybrid and digital events really effectively over the past few months, personal contact with our customers is extremely important to us and that is not going to change. That’s why we are doing everything in our power to ensure our world-renowned and respected Technology Days will this year be a successful and exciting

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in-person event,” stated Juliane Hehl, Managing Partner with responsibility for marketing.

A decision had been taken in September 2020 that, in light of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, this year’s event would be pushed back from its traditional March slot to early summer. The company stated that nothing about the concept itself, which has been a successful one for more than twenty years, will change.

This year, the invited audience will have to register in advance. Attendees will be separated into small groups, each with an individual advisor, who will take them on a tour around the company at a specific time. This

Powder Injection Moulding International

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including low-alloy steels, stainless steel, most ferrous metals and titanium. Available part sizes range up to around 76 mm in length, with a thickness of up to 6.3 mm, and weighing up to 100 g. Finished parts are described as ‘net-shape accurate’, however in-house finish machining is available for components with critical tolerances. www.smithmetals.com

system will ensure there will not be too many visitors on site at any one time.

The open spaces at Arburg head office mean there is plenty of room to present a large number of interesting exhibits while maintaining the necessary distance. Machines, turnkey systems, and digital products and services are spread out throughout the Customer Centre, the Arburg Prototyping Centre, the Efficiency Arena, the Training Centre and the assembly halls.

The Efficiency Arena, focusing on arburgGREENworld and arburgXworld, is expected to be very popular once again in 2021. A range of application examples relating to the circular economy, conservation of resources, digitalisation and the customer portal will also be on show. www.arburg.com

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EPSON ATMIX CORPORATION

Finer Powder Production Cleaner Powder Production Shape Control of Powders • Low Alloy Steel • High Alloy Steel • Stainless Steel • Magnetic Materials • Granulated Powder

JAPAN Mr. Ryo Numasawa Numasawa.Ryo@exc.epson.co.jp ASIA and OCEANIA Ms. Jenny Wong jenny-w@pacificsowa.co.jp CHINA Mr. Hideki Kobayashi kobayashi-h@pacificsowa.co.jp

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U.S.A and SOUTH AMERICA Mr. Tom Pelletiers tpelletiers@scmmetals.com EU Dr. Dieter Pyraseh Dieter.Pyrasch@thyssenkrupp.com

KOREA Mr. John Yun March 2021 Powder Injection Moulding International dkico@hanafos.com

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Industry News

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Desktop Metal launches Studio System 2, eliminating the solvent debinding stage

The new Studio System 2 incorporates a two-step process, removing the debinding stage found in earlier systems (Courtesy Desktop Metal)

Desktop Metal, Inc., headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, has launched its Studio System 2 – a simplified, office-friendly metal Additive Manufacturing system aimed at low volume, pre-production and end-use applications. The Studio System 2 incorporates a new, two-step process based on Desktop Metal’s Material Extrusion (MEX) technology it calls Bound Metal Deposition (BMD). The two-step process now eliminates the use of solvents, removing the debinding stage needed with earlier systems.

All-new material formulations allow parts to be transferred directly from the AM machine into the furnace.

The result is said to offer a nearly hands-free experience, that also reduces consumables usage and overall system footprint.

“As Additive Manufacturing adoption advances worldwide, Desktop Metal continues to drive innovations that enable the technology to more

effectively compete with conventional manufacturing processes,” stated Ric Fulop, CEO and co-founder of Desktop Metal.

“Our next-generation Studio System 2 takes the best features of the original Studio System+ and significantly improves upon them, delivering higher quality end-use metal parts through a more streamlined and accessible process, and within an even smaller footprint.”

The original Studio System, first debuted in 2017, was launched as an office-friendly metal AM system and consisted of an AM machine, debinder and furnace. This allowed the simplified, in-house production of low volumes of complex metal parts.

The next-generation Studio System 2 retains all the critical features of the original Studio System, while delivering advancements that are said to make metal Additive Manufacturing even easier, more reliable and accessible.

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Vacuum sintering in the Desktop Metal furnace, at temperatures of up to 1400°C, produces parts and mechanical properties that are similar to castings and reportedly meet or exceed Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) standards.

The Studio System 2 is launching with 316L stainless steel, an excellent corrosion-resistant and generalpurpose material used across a variety of industries for applications such as manifolds, nozzles, brackets, latches, and jewellery. A broad portfolio of additional materials, that take advantage of the new streamlined two-step process, is in active R&D, with new releases expected to rollout in 2021. In addition, the Studio System 2 will be backwardscompatible through the use of the debinder, with all materials previously supported by the Studio System, including 17-4PH stainless steel, 4140 low alloy steel, H13 tool steel, and copper.

The company’s Fabricate software features new, default print profiles tailored to the Studio System 2 process that simplify build preparation, while still providing users access to more than ninety customisable print settings. Fabricate also generates Separable Support structures with strategic splits to avoid locking during post-processing and fully automates thermal debind and sintering cycles.

“Based on the success of our original Studio System, we know companies around the globe are eager to adopt our new, more streamlined Studio System 2 process to produce difficult-to-machine parts featuring complex geometry like undercuts and internal channels,” added Fulop.

“Across manufacturing, tooling, automotive, consumer products and electronics, and medical applications, companies are sharing how Additive Manufacturing is challenging their design and engineering teams to think differently about how to optimise designs for best-in-class part success.”

The Studio System 2 will also be available through an upgrade for all existing Studio System customers. www.desktopmetal.com

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CATAMOLD® MOTION 8620

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Industry News

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Triditive closes $1.8 million seed funding round to deliver industrial, automated sinter-based metal AM Sinter-based metal AM machines manufacturer Triditive, based in Gijón, Spain, has completed a $1.8 million series seed investment round. The seed round was supported by new investors and industry leaders: Stanley Ventures (Stanley Black & Decker), Techstars, Hunosa empresas, Fourth Funding, IDEPA,

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and a selected group of ‘business angels’ from Spain, France and Switzerland. “We are delighted to welcome our new investors and thankful to our existing shareholders for their continued support,” stated Mariel Diaz, CEO at Triditive. “This funding validates our approach to industrialise Additive Manufacturing

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through automation and enables us to expand our market presence.”

Sean Wright, Stanley Ventures Managing Director, commented, “We see tremendous growth potential in the Additive Manufacturing industry.

Triditive demonstrated its ability to innovate and create a novel product.

We look forward to working with the team to extend our impact in the Additive Manufacturing industry.”

The company was also named one of Spain’s fifty most innovative startups by Emprendedores magazine for its development of automated metal and polymer Additive Manufacturing technology.

This recognition comes after the company was selected to form part of the cohort of the InvestHorizon accelerator, a programme financed by the European Commission in association with Eureka, an international network of eighteen countries which aims to foster European competitiveness and integration while encouraging R&D cooperation.

Triditive is set to open a 1,700 m2 factory in Siero, Spain, for the production of its AMCell Additive Manufacturing machines. This new factory is the result of a €1 million investment, and is expected to be the largest AM-focused plant in Spain.

Once complete, it will also form the company’s global headquarters.

The company’s AMCell machine is described as the first automated ‘3D factory in a box’ and is integrated with EVAM, a software platform for remote control and automatic production optimisation, to automate and manage the entire Additive Manufacturing workflow in a single platform.

The machine is powered by what the company refers to as Automated Multimaterial Deposition (AMD) Technology® and uses a process similar to Metal Injection Moulding to produce green parts with the advantages related to sinter-based metal AM processes. The result is said to be a process with the highest throughput of cost-efficient metal parts. www.triditive.com

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Formnext 2021 to take place with in-person and digital elements Formnext organiser Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH reports that, following a year in which trade fairs globally went almost entirely digital, Formnext 2021 will include both in-person as well as digital elements in a hybrid concept. The in-person event will take place in Frankfurt, Germany, from November 16–19, and the digital event will run from November 30–December 1, 2021.

In planning its hybrid concept, the organiser is said to be building on the experience it gathered holding the digital Formnext Connect 2020. To offer a counterpart to the in-person event for the very first time, the Formnext Digital Days are planned to run two weeks later for those who cannot attend in person. “The feedback we’ve received from exhibitors, attendees, and the exhibitor advisory board has made it clear that

a genuine in-person event is essential to this industry. Everyone is longing to visit some real booths and have some face-to-face conversations,” stated Sascha F Wenzler, vice president of Formnext at Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH. “Digital elements can definitely complement Formnext, but they’ll never replace the real thing,” Wenzler continued. “Like in years past, Formnext 2021 is scheduled to take place at the state-of-the-art facilities on the western premises of Messe Frankfurt.”

The organiser explains that since the health and safety of all attendees remains the key priority, plans for Formnext 2021 are being made on the basis of a health strategy that meets the necessary legal requirements. In order to provide Formnext’s exhibitors with as much flexibility as possible

in their planning, both the related deadlines and the event’s general terms and conditions have been adjusted. In addition to the early-bird discount that will be available until April 16, exhibitors can, for example, cancel their bookings free of charge until the end of June. Formnext is also offering turnkey booth concepts that make planning an entire tradefair appearance a simpler affair without any major additional effort.

“An array of highly innovative companies from the various sectors of this industry can’t wait to present their latest developments to our audience in person,” added Wenzler. “In this way, Formnext can also aid the economic recovery of a lot of areas by serving as a catalyst of innovation.

We’re hoping that these two days provide an intriguing digital platform, especially for attendees and exhibitors who can’t make it to Frankfurt in November due to travel restrictions,” Wenzler concluded. www.formnext.com

It’s a matter of choice High temp lab and industrial furnace manufacturer to the world www.cmfurnaces.com info@cmfurnaces.com 103 Dewey Street Bloomfield, NJ 07003-4237 | Tel: 973-338-6500 | Fax: 973-338-1625

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Industry News

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Registration opens for PowderMet2021 hybrid conference Registration is now open for the international conference on Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials (PowderMet2021) which will take place both online and in-person at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin in Orlando, Florida, USA, from June 20–23, 2021.

Organised and sponsored by the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF), the hybrid event will feature traditional live presentations which will be recorded and available on-demand to all participants for a limited time.

The PowderMet conference and exhibition is relevant to professionals from every part of the industry, including buyers and specifiers of metal powders, tooling and compacting presses, sintering furnaces, furnace belts, powder handling & blending equipment, QC and automation equipment, particle size & powder characterisation

equipment, consulting & research services and more.

The MPIF states that it will be working to adhere to all Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) and local authorities’ recommendations to ensure safety for all in-person participants. Further information on these measures is available through the MPIF website.

The four-day event will be held alongside the Additive Manufacturing with Powder Metallurgy (AMPM2021) and the International Conference on Tungsten, Refractory & Hardmaterials (Tungsten2021) conferences. Between the three co-located conferences, over 200 technical presentations will be made.

Registrants enrolled prior to May 7, 2021, can benefit from a discounted rate. www.powdermet2021.org www.mpif.org

Cremer Thermoprozessenlagen GmbH has announced the addition of 250 m2 in office space at its headquarters in Düren-Konzendorf, Germany, giving the company capacity to add a further ten design engineers. The company is a global manufacturer of sintering furnaces for a wide range of PM applications, including MIM and HIP. Established in 1968, Cremer celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018. One of the company’s most successful furnaces has been the MIM-Master, a continuous sintering furnace for MIM based on the walking-beam technique. This furnace has played a key role in the continued use of MIM technology for over two decades and an updated version was recently introduced in the new MIM-Master Neo. www.cremer-polyfour.de

Euro PM2021 Congress & Exhibition to take place online only

MPP appoints Abdul Butt as COO

The European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) has announced that the Euro PM2021 Congress & Exhibition, initially scheduled to take place in Lisbon, Portugal, from October 17–20, will now take place online from October 18–22. The decision was made due to the ongoing uncertainty caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The online event will take place over five days, allowing more time for delegates to network, and catch up with parallel sessions they may have missed. The technical programme was confirmed in February and

MPP, a provider of customengineered Powder Metallurgy and Metal Injection Moulding solutions headquartered in Noblesville, Indiana, USA, has appointed Abdul Butt to the position of Chief Operating Officer.

Butt joins MPP following on from numerous years in PM manufacturing and leadership roles, most recently as CEO at GKN Wheels & Structures, where he had previously worked as Regional Operations Director for the US. Prior to this, he gained extensive leadership experience throughout his two-decade career at GKN plc, in positions shifting from manager, to vice president and onto president.

In his position as MPP’s COO, Butt will be responsible for the alignment and prioritisation of investments, as well as ensuring operational stability across the company. www.mppinnovation.com

represents an expanded array of papers from all sectors of PM. The EPMA explains that it will build upon the success of the Euro PM2020 Virtual Congress with improved networking features, break-out ‘rooms’ for discussion, and increased presence for sponsors and media partners. Additionally, Euro PM2021 will feature a virtual exhibition for the first time, allowing delegates to explore a digital showroom of PM companies, promoting their latest developments to the entire PM supply chain. www.europm2021.com

Discover our new Buyer’s guide...

Find new suppliers of materials, production equipment and finished MIM or sinter-based AM parts on pages 119-121

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Expansion at furnace specialist Cremer

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Industry News

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Desktop Metal adds the P-1 binder jet process development machine to its Production System range Desktop Metal, Inc., Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, has announced its latest metal Additive Manufacturing machine, the P-1. The new Binder Jetting (BJT) machine expands the company’s Production System™ range, sitting alongside its flagship P-50, and has already begun shipping, with the Ford Motor Company cited as an initial customer.

Designed to serve as a bridge from process development to full-scale mass production of end-use metal parts, the P-1 leverages the same patent-pending Single Pass Jetting™ (SPJ) technology as the P-50. The new AM machine features a 1200 dpi print bar, advanced printhead technology that supports a wide variety of binders, and an inert processing environment to allow both the AM of non-reactive and reactive materials, said to be a key benefit for businesses and research institutions looking to experiment with a variety of materials. As a result, materials research and new application development conducted on the P-1 can be transferred directly onto the P-50 to scale to mass production.

“We know industrial businesses around the world are eager to begin working with the Production

System P-50 and benefit from the fastest, most cost effective way to manufacture metal parts of all levels of complexity at scale,” stated Ric Fulop, CEO and co-founder of Desktop Metal. “Adding the P-1 to our Production System portfolio serves as a key enabler for these companies as they look to develop processes and materials on a smaller scale before ramping up to mass production volumes.”

“Similarly, many businesses and research institutions are also interested in leveraging the economics and quality of SPJ technology for midvolume serial production, making the P-1 an ideal fit and a great stepping stone to broad adoption of Desktop Metal’s technology and flagship P-50 printer,” he added.

Desktop Metal’s SPJ technology on the P-1 is designed to build each layer in less than three seconds, including powder deposition, powder compaction, anti-ballistics, binder deposition, and printhead cleaning. The P-1’s open material platform and inert process environment allow customers to use third-party Metal Injection Moulding powders across a variety of materials, making the P-1 suitable for cost-effective serial production of

Desktop Metal’s new P-1 metal Additive Manufacturing machine (Courtesy Desktop Metal)

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Powder Injection Moulding International

March 2021

small and complex parts in addition to smaller-scale process development activities.

The Ford Motor Company has used Additive Manufacturing in its design and development stages for a number of years, and is scheduled to receive the new P-1 later this month.

“Ford has been active in 3D printing since 1988 with the acquisition of the third commercially available stereolithography (SLA) system; we are very excited to be early adopters of the P-1,” stated Cynthia Flanigan, Director, Vehicle Research and Technology, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering. “We expect that this new system will serve as an important tool in the development of our future advanced process and alloy implementation, enabling our researchers to investigate additional production opportunities of metal Binder Jetting at Ford Motor Company.”

“Our early collaboration with Desktop Metal highlighted the need for a lab-scale system that is aligned with the functionality of the production scale system so we can further develop expertise around this process,” she added.

P-1 customers will also gain access to Desktop Metal’s Fabricate® manufacturing build preparation software, as well as its newly-released Live Sinter™ application, which simulates the sintering process and automatically generates build-ready geometries that compensate for the shrinkage and distortion that take place during sintering, minimising process trial and error while improving accuracy.

“For many businesses like Ford, the P-1 will serve as a learning lab for processes as they look to scale up to full production. Research institutions are also eager to adopt the Production System P-1 to experiment, validate materials, and test a variety of use cases for metal Binder Jetting with a smaller build box that offers all of the benefits of SPJ technology, including speed, quality, and reliability,” Fulop concluded. www.desktopmetal.com

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DIGITAL METAL

OUR MATERIALS • Stainless steel 316L and 17-4PH • Tool steel DM D2 • Super alloys DM 625 & DM 247 (equivalent to Inconel 625 & MAR M247) • Titanium Ti6Al4V • DM Cu, pure copper

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DIGITAL METAL ® IS A HÖGANÄS GROUP COMPANY 22 Powder Injection Moulding International March 2021

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www.pyramid.se

– 3D METAL BINDER JETTING FOR SERIAL PRODUCTION

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Liberty Powder Metals begins powder production at new atomisation facility Liberty Powder Metals, part of GFG Alliance’s Liberty Steel Group, has started commercial production at its new high-tech metal powder facility in Teesside, North Yorkshire, UK. With the new facility, Liberty Powder Metals will produce a range of stainless steel and nickel superalloy powders aimed at the market for precision components within the automotive, aerospace, and engineering sectors.

The UK’s Atomising Systems Ltd and Consarc Engineering worked closely with Liberty Powder Metals on equipment design for the facility.

In the powder production process, spherical powder particles are formed in a vacuum induction argon gas atomiser, incorporating an anti-satellite facility said to increase productivity.

The facility launch is the culmination of a two-year collaboration with the Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen and the Combined Authority, which provided £4.6 million of funding, and the Materials Processing Institute, which housed the atomiser within its own research facilities. Installation and commissioning have successfully overcome significant challenges caused by the coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic in 2020, which has restricted the number of contractors able to work on-site and impacted on the delivery of equipment.

Commissioning of the atomiser includes a series of ‘acceptance melts’, which Liberty Powder Metals must perform before the plant is handed over for full operation. The atomiser enables the company to

Precious metal powder producer Hilderbrand & Cie SA announces rebrand and relocation Swiss company Hilderbrand & Cie SA has rebranded as C Hafner & Hilderbrand SA. Along with this change comes a planned relocation of its facilities to the communal Espace Tourbillon, a five-building complex located in Plan-les-Ouates’ industrial park in Geneva, Switzerland.

Hilderbrand expects its move to be complete by the first quarter of 2021.

The company develops and produces a range of fine spherical precious metal powders, which are especially suitable for use in Additive Manufacturing and other manufacturing technologies such as Metal Injection Moulding and powder spraying. Typical areas of application are jewellery and watches, technical or medical applications.

Since 2013, Hilderbrand has been part of C Hafner GmbH, Wimsheim, Germany, a company which supplies

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precious metal technology products and services. Along with its own experience, this position in the group allows the company to offer a full range of precious metals products.

Thierry Copponnex, CEO, believes the new location will increase Hilderbrand’s visibility, allowing access to the wider Swiss market.

Having moved a short distance within the canton of Geneva, the company is now at the heart of the watchmaking industry, which is hoped will allow for more synergistic relationships between Hilderbrand and some of its consumers.

Copponnex has stated that he hopes this location-facilitated collaboration will allow the company to further develop. The final building in Espace Tourbillon is scheduled for completion by the end of this year. www.hilderbrand.ch

Industry News

melt a range of defined chemistries and pour the liquid stream through an aperture, using inert gas to break it into fine droplets which then solidify into a powder which is secured and confined to avoid contamination from outside sources.

Powders then undergo further processing, including optimisation and characterisation, before final testing and dispatch to customers.

The same post-atomisation processing activities are deployed for all metal powders in the company’s portfolio, which includes aluminium, titanium and cobalt alloys.

Simon Pike, General Manager of Liberty Powder Metals, stated, “This has been a great achievement amid unprecedented challenges from the COVID pandemic. The resolve and resilience of our team and our contractors to overcome supply chain constraints has been invaluable.” www.libertysteelgroup.com

Melrose appoints Peter Dilnot as Executive Director Melrose Industries PLC, UK, the parent company of GKN Powder Metallurgy, GKN Aerospace and GKN Automotive, has confirmed the appointment of Peter Dilnot to its board as Executive Director, effective January 1, 2021.

Dilnot has a deep understanding of the Melrose business model, having been appointed as Melrose Chief Operating Officer in April 2019. He also has considerable public company and industrial experience, having previously acted as Chief Executive Officer of Renewi plc prior to joining Melrose, and having been a senior executive at Danaher Corporation prior to this.

Dilnot also has an engineering and aviation background, and was a helicopter pilot in the British Armed Forces. www.melroseplc.net

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Industry News

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ExOne and Ford collaborate to achieve high-speed, high-density aluminium Binder Jetting process In a project co-funded by the ExOne Company, North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, USA, and Ford Motor Company, a team of engineers, material scientists and manufacturing experts has developed a new patentpending process for the Binder Jetting and sintering of aluminium which results in components with properties comparable to those found in die casting.

Although some aluminium alloys can be produced by AM using lasers, the process developed by Ford and ExOne is reported to offer greater speed. The resulting process is expected to increase Ford’s efficiency, allowing the company to affordably manufacture complex parts designed for AM, which will enable size and weight reductions, part consolidation and performance improvements.

Manufacturing, Ford. “While the 3D-printing process is very different than stamping body panels, we understand the behaviour of aluminium better today, as well as its value in light-weighting vehicles. High-speed aluminium 3D printing paves the way for other opportunities that we’re just now starting to take a look at because of the ability to do complex parts with aluminium that previously weren’t possible. It’s really opening doors for other opportunities.”

The relationship between ExOne and Ford dates back to the early 2000s, when Ford purchased several of ExOne’s first industrial sand AM machines in the US in order to create sand moulds and cores for metal casting. The joint development process of this aluminium process began in 2019, with Ford leading the final material and repeatability testing to verify accuracy. The Ford/ExOne team is actively working on designs to further utilise the process and resulting materials. www.exone.com | www.ford.com

“Developing a fast, affordable, and easy way to 3D print aluminium with traditional material properties is a critical step toward light-weighting more products and delivering a more sustainable future,” stated John Hartner, CEO, ExOne. “Our world-class engineers and scientists are focused on solving the toughest problems with 3D printing technology, and this achievement is a real win for all of us.”

While the Binder Jetting process for sintering stainless steels was well understood, ExOne states that achieving densities higher than 99% for aluminium represents a significant achievement for the industry.

“This is a breakthrough in making 3D printed and sintered parts for the auto industry,” commented Harold Sears, Technical Leader for Additive

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With partner Novamet Specialty Products Corp., Ultra Fine provides various after treatments, coatings and other capabilities using Ultra Fine’s high quality powders.

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Industry News

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Isostatic Toll Services Bilbao receives Nadcap accreditation for heat treating Isostatic Toll Services Bilbao SL (ITS Bilbao), Spain, recently received Nadcap accreditation for its heat treating services. Nadcap provides independent certification for manufacturing processes for the aerospace industry. ITS Bilbao opened a new Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) facility in January 2020, in Abanto Zierbena, Biscay, Spain.

The company explains that with over fifty subscribers among the most relevant OEMs, the Nadcap accreditation is seen as the reference in developing industry-wide audit criteria for special processes and products, and the cornerstone in quality supply surveillance and risk mitigation activity in the industry.

ITS Bilbao, sister company of Isostatic Toll Services (ITS), Olive Branch, Mississippi, USA, is equipped with an AIP52 HIP unit, with a hot zone diameter of 1100 mm and depth of 2500 mm at 103 MPa, the AIP52 is capable of processing large components, such as engine blades, vanes and integral rings used in the aviation industry. The investment for a second identical unit in Bilbao is said to have already been confirmed and will be in operation by October 2021.

Fernando del Val, Plant Manager in ITS Bilbao, commented, “It is indeed a remarkable achievement to directly meet the stringent requirements of Nadcap accreditation, whose credit is shared among all the people that with passion and competence made this possible; the US sister company, the manufacturer of the HIP unit, the customers, our specialised consultants, and our key people on-site. One word among many: Teamwork.”

In addition to its Nadcap and ISO 9100 achievements, ITS Bilbao has received special approval from Rolls Royce, ITP, Safran, and Pratt & Whitney. Honeywell Aerospace’s approval process is said to be currently ongoing. The AIP 52 unit

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can currently HIP parts in aluminium, titanium, and nickel alloys up to 1250°C. ITS explains that its long-term strategy is to deploy a solid and widespread network of service centres for big-size toll HIPing. del Val added, “HIP is our core competence.

Through our special relationships with AIP Inc, we master the complete process: from design to operating HIP units. Nobody else on the planet can combine U2/U3 stamp and Nadcap.

We are keen to follow ambitions, both in terms of geographical coverage and Hot Zone size. When there is a solid business plan, we are ready to invest.” www.isostatictollservices.eu www.isostatictollservices.com

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PRECISION IN METAL

If you only remember two technologies […] they should be additive manufacturing and metal injection moulding.“ [SOURCE: McKinsey in Factory of the Future, Oct. 2014]

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Desktop Metal and Uniformity Labs announce new aluminium powder for use in Binder Jetting Through a collaboration between Desktop Metal, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, Uniformity Labs, Fremont, California, USA, a new powder enabling aluminium sintering for Binder Jetting (BJT) AM technology has been discovered.

This comes after a multi-year effort between the companies to develop a low-cost raw material that yields fully dense, sinterable 6061 aluminium with greater than 10% elongation, as well as improved yield strength and ultimate tensile strength versus wrought 6061 aluminium undergoing comparable heat treatments.

“This breakthrough represents a major milestone in the development of aluminium for Binder Jetting and a significant step forward for the AM industry, as it is one of the most sought-after materials for use in

automotive, aerospace and consumer electronics,” stated Ric Fulop, CEO and co-founder of Desktop Metal.

“The global aluminium castings market is more than $50 billion per year, and it is ripe for disruption with Binder Jetting AM solutions.”

“The introduction of lightweight metals to Binder Jetting opens the door to a wide variety of thermal and structural applications across industries,” added Adam Hopkins, founder and CEO of Uniformity Labs.

“This innovation is a key step towards the adoption of mass-produced printed aluminium parts.”

This new powder, Uniformity 6061, enables the sintering of unadulterated 6061 aluminium, said to be a significant improvement over prior aluminium sintering techniques, which required coating powder

particles, mixing sintering aids into the powders, using binders containing expensive nanoparticles or diluting the aluminium with metals such as lead, tin or magnesium. Most importantly, Uniformity 6061 also allows for the use of water-based binders and has a higher minimum energy relative to other commercially-available 6061 aluminium powders, resulting in an improved safety profile.

Over the coming year, Desktop Metal and Uniformity Labs will continue their partnership to qualify the powder and scale production for commercial release. Once qualified, Uniformity 6061 will be available for use with Desktop Metal’s Production System. “These are the best reported properties we are aware of for a sintered 6061 aluminium powder, and we are excited to make this material available exclusively to Desktop Metal customers as part of our ongoing partnership with Uniformity Labs,” Fulop concluded. www.desktopmetal.com www.uniformitylabs.com

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www.polymim.com

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Industry News

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Digital Metal adds pure copper to its metals range Digital Metal, part of Sweden’s Höganäs group and a global supplier of high-precision metal Binder Jetting (BJT) AM systems for industrial use has added pure copper, DM Cu, to its material offering. The excellent thermal and electrical conductivity of pure copper make it perfect for a wide range of applications, from electronics to heat exchangers, heat sinks and engine parts. Additively manufacturing parts in copper also offers a new freedom for designers, allowing optimal functionality with few restrictions. Copper is also known for being antibacterial.

For its customers, Digital Metal believes it will see the benefit of additively manufacturing with 99.9% pure copper versus more traditional copper alloys used in laser-based systems.

“Printing with pure copper using

Pure copper heat sink (left) and bullhorn antenna (right) built using Digital Metal’s BJT system (Courtesy Digital Metal)

Digital Metal’s Binder Jetting technology is one of the most anticipated material launches ever, and totally new within Binder Jetting. Copper has been high up on our customers’ wish list and timing is perfect with the demand for copper applications soaring in fast growth areas such as e-mobility and heat conductivity,” stated Christian Lönne, CEO.

DM Cu pure copper is the latest addition to Digital Metal’s BJT machine. Other materials featured in the company’s range include stainless steel 316L and 17-4PH, tool steel DM D2, superalloys DM 625 (equivalent to Inconel 625) and DM 247 (equivalent to MAR M247) and titanium Ti6Al4V. www.digitalmetal.tech

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Kyocera Corporation to construct new R&D centre Japan’s Kyocera Corporation began construction of a new research and development centre in January this year at its Kokubu campus in Kirishima City, Kagoshima, Japan. The company executed a location agreement with the mayor of Kirishima City for the new centre, which will focus on new innovations in the fields of information and communications, environmental preservation, and smart energy.

The Kokubu campus currently houses an innovation hub and three strategic R&D groups: Kyocera’s Monozukuri R&D Laboratory, which focuses on advanced material technologies; its Production Technology Division, focusing on manufacturing process innovation; and its Analysis Center, which develops simulation and evaluation technologies.

Current R&D programmes include 5G smartphone technologies, electronic and semiconductor components used in IoT devices, and key components for new smart energy technologies, such as cell stacks for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs). Intellectual property developed on the campus is said to have found a wide range of other applications such as the automotive, aerospace, medical and healthcare fields.

Through greater collaboration among these R&D operations, Kyocera hopes to establish a new platform to accelerate development and production efforts, with comprehensive support for manufacturing new products, promoting factory automation and improving manufacturing efficiencies. The company states that it will position the new facility specifically as an incubator for open innovation, sharing technical information for human resource development and networking with inventors outside of Kyocera. www.kyocera.com

PM Tooling System The EROWA PM Tooling System is the standard interface of the press tools between the toolshop and the powder press machine.

Its unrivalled resetting time also enables you to produce small series profitably. www.erowa.com

more info

An architect’s rendering of the new R&D centre that will be constructed at Kyocera’s Kokubu campus (Courtesy Kyocera Corporation)

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Industry News

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CeramTec adds SiSiC material for AM to its technical ceramics portfolio CeramTec GmbH, Plochingen, Germany, has added ROCAR® 3D, a new technical ceramics material, to its portfolio. The silicon carbide (SiSiC) material for Additive Manufacturing is suitable for the development and production of single or multiple prototypes or components.

To illustrate the many advantages of SiSiC Additive Manufacturing, CeramTec has produced a number of example parts from its new ROCAR 3D material.

The company explains that a recent study by the European Patent Office reported that Additive Manufacturing is growing rapidly in a wide range of industry sectors, especially in recent years. However, compared to polymers and metals, AM is not yet used as widely for technical ceramics production.

Ceramic AM is reported to be faster overall than conventional production processes. Equally important are the almost limitless possibilities in terms of product geometry and individual shaping, which are difficult to realise with conventional processes, states

CeramTec made parts with its new ROCAR 3D material to demonstarte the advantages of SiSiC Additive Manufacturing (Courtesy CeramTec GmbH)

CeramTec. Producing ceramic components using AM offers many advantages, especially for small-series production where the development of components can be achieved more quickly, as this often results in a faster product launch at lower costs.

In the current coronavirus (COVID19) crisis, Additive Manufacturing has also proven that it can bridge supply chain bottlenecks. The technology is good for more than a crisis, however: the process enables component optimisation, including customisation and, due to the nature of the AM machine used, multiple components can be produced simultaneously at a

ECerS XVII conference postponed to 2022 The ECerS XVII 2021 conference – organised by the European Ceramic Society AISBL (ECerS), the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS), and DKG Deutsche Keramische Gesellschaft e. V. – has now been postponed to 2022 due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The new dates and location for the 2022 event are yet to be confirmed.

Typically taking place every two years, the ECerS conference series focuses on research and product

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developments in a wide range of ceramic-related areas, and the technical programme provides an opportunity for scientists, researchers, engineers and industry leaders to present and exchange findings on recent advances in ceramic science and technology, including Ceramic Injection Moulding (CIM) and Additive Manufacturing (AM).

The conference is expected to include Plenary lectures, the ECerS Awards Ceremony, the ECerS

Powder Injection Moulding International

March 2021

low cost. On top of this, the production of complex geometries and intricate functions can be consolidated into one component with material parameters closely corresponding to conventionally-produced components.

ROCAR 3D is said to complement the company’s wide range of materials for highly-specialised ceramic elements, and AM enables the development of components that may later be produced in large series in a particularly cost-effective and innovative way. The company also believes Additive Manufacturing will increasingly be used for the production of end-use products. www.ceramtec-group.com

Fellowships Ceremony, the Student Speech Contest and an industrial exhibition.

It will be divided across nine symposia covering a variety of ceramic science and technology aspects, including: Innovative processing and synthesis, hightemperature processes and advanced sintering, modelling of ceramics, advanced structural ceramics, composites and refractories, ceramics and glasses for healthcare, ceramics for energy conversion and storage, functional ceramics, silicate ceramics, and ceramics in cultural heritage & arts. www.ecers2021.org

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Thermoprozessanlagen GmbH

Thermal Process Equipment for PIM applications Continuous Furnaces Batch Furnaces

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14 No. 14 ©©2021 2020Inovar InovarCommunications CommunicationsLtd Ltd Vol. 15

www.cremer-polyfour.de

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Industry News

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Fraunhofer IFAM installs Europe’s first Tritone MoldJet AM system, adds HIP The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM), Dresden, Germany, is expanding its range of sinter-based Additive Manufacturing technologies with a new MoldJet® system from Israel’s Tritone Technologies, Ltd. IFAM, reported to be the first European user of the MoldJet process, has installed the new machine at its Innovation Center Additive Manufacturing (ICAM).

The MoldJet process is described as a synergy of two manufacturing processes, allowing for the flexible production of customer-specific parts. Firstly, a mould is produced as a negative of the component geometry from a wax-like polymer using inkjet-like print heads. This built layer of the mould is then filled with water-based metal powder paste in a slot-die process.

The process continues layerby-layer, allowing undercuts or even internal channels to be possible without the use of support structures. Finally, the surrounding mould is removed, allowing the 3D-shaped green part to be taken for heat treatment and sintering.

Each additively manufactured layer is checked by an inspection unit, where defects can be detected instantly, mechanically removed and the layer remanufactured, if necessary. Data on the manufacture can be collected for continuous development of the technology.

The MoldJet process is reported to offer further benefits relative to some other AM processes: • Fit for both small, intricate parts and large-volume components • Surface quality compares favourably to typical laserbased technologies

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The new MoldJet printing system from Tritone Technologies at Fraunhofer IFAM, Dresden (Courtesy Fraunhofer IFAM Dresden)

• Internal channels and overhangs can both be realised • Any sinterable material – such as stainless steel, pure copper, nickel-base alloys, titanium and refractories, or ceramics – can be used • High productivity; with six manufacturing trays and six autonomous workstations, a productivity of up to 1,600 cm³/h may be achieved • Low scrap rates • Cost & materials savings The new MoldJet manufacturing system was installed at Fraunhofer IFAM’s ICAM. Here, Fraunhofer brings together a wide range of AM processes and develops solutions for materials and component geometries. Alongside the MoldJet, the centre also hosts capabilities for Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-EB), 3D Screen Printing, metalbased Fused Filament Fabrication and Gel Casting.

Fraunhofer IFAM explores HIP and heat treatment with the installation of a Quintus’ HIP QIH 15L system Fraunhofer IFAM Dresden has also added to its pressure-supported heat treatment options with the acquisition

Powder Injection Moulding International

March 2021

of a Quintus Hot Isostatic Press, QIH 15L. The new system is reported to significantly expand the insutitutes capabilities. IFAM’s researchers foresee the chief application for the system in the development of combined processes, such as heat treatment and Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) for materials with complex heat treatment needs such as nickelbase superalloys and intermetallic materials.

The new machine will also integrate in the institute’s Additive Manufacturing processes, with existing HIP treatments optimised and adapted to AM. The new system will not only be used for R&D projects, but can also be utilised for carrying out predefined HIP cycles. Customers will have access to a furnace chamber of 170 mm x 290 mm, at a maximum pressure of 200 MPa and a maximum temperature of 1400°C. The system is equipped with Uniform Rapid Quench (URQ) technology, which enables cooling rates of up to 10³K/ min, making it possible to carry out multi-stage heat treatments in the actual HIP process. www.ifam.fraunhofer.de www.quintus.com www.tritoneam.com

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Industry News

Phoenix Scientific Industries Ltd

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Holo introduces PureForm technology for metal Additive Manufacturing

Phoenix Scientifi Industrie

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Holo, a volume production Additive Manufacturing company based in Newark, California, USA, has launched its PureForm™ metal AM platform, ramping up production capacity to manufacture thousands of parts per month from its newly opened facility in the Bay Area. The company’s sinter-based AM platform is based on the Vat Photopolymerisation (VPP) process.

“Most companies developing additive technology are focused on selling their printers,” stated Hal Zarem, CEO at Holo. “We are lowering the barriers to adoption by offering additively manufactured parts to our customers and addressing the largest sector of the AM market with finished parts” PureForm uses a patented polymer binder compatible with a wide variety of materials including metals and ceramics. Combined with what is described as a proven back-end processes based on Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) technology, the platform provides scalable production tailored for high-volume manufacturing.

The company’s first commercial material is reported to be pure copper. At over $170 billion, copper is the third largest material market in the world – a material widely used for its electrical and thermal conductivity properties. Although processing

copper is challenging for certain metal Additive Manufacturing technologies, Holo has developed a 99.9% pure copper material that retains the bulk conductivity properties of copper.

The ability to process this material has enabled the company to focus on developing cooling solutions for the rapidly growing high-performance computer market, electric vehicles (inverters and e-motors), complex three-dimensional electrical interconnects, RF antennae and heat exchangers. Holo is now sampling stainless steels to customers, opening up applications across a gamut of industries, from aerospace to medical.

“The challenge today with metal 3D printing is that the technologies are either too expensive and unable to scale for production, or low resolution, which limit applications,” added Arian Aghababaie, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Holo. “Holo’s PureForm technology enables us to produce high-resolution components directly for our customers, at a fraction of the cost of existing AM technologies and in production volumes.”

Holo is quickly ramping up volume and has begun supplying parts from its 1850 m2 production facility in Silicon Valley, where it is said to have the capacity to produce tens of thousands of parts per month. www.holoam.com

ced Process S PSI Limited - Apex Business Park Hailsham - East Sussex - BN27 3JU - UK Tel: +44 (0)1323 449001 info@psiltd.co.uk - www.psiltd.co.uk

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Holo’s PureForm is a Vat Photopolymerisation (VPP)-based technology, compatible with a wide variety of materials including metals and ceramics (Courtesy Holo)

Powder Injection Moulding International

March 2021

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Industry News

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Signature Vacuum receives fifth order from US defence contractor for vacuum sintering furnace Signature Vacuum, Harmonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA, has announced a fifth order from a United States defence contractor for a custom sintering vacuum furnace for the production of ceramic injection moulded parts. The Model VBS-12 ordered will have a 91 cm diameter and 122 cm high work zone in a graphite hot zone rated for 1850°C. Signature designs and manufactures vacuum furnace systems for thermal processing applications in the metals and ceramics industries. With many years of experience serving the thermal processing industry, the company offers a range of innovative solutions and support services.

“Our strength at Signature is solving problems and delivering solutions,” stated Greg Kimble, president at Signature. We have enjoyed the progression of this relationship over the years and we are committed to providing quality products and dependable services.”

It was added that the defence contractor cites Signature’s efficient design, consistent performance and quality support as critical to their decision to continue the relationship. www.signaturevacuum.com

EPMA PM Thesis Competition announced The European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) has launched its 2021 Powder Metallurgy Thesis Competition. Held every two years from its 1998 inception until 2016, when it moved to its current annual structure, the aim of the competition is to develop interest and promote PM among young scientists at European academic institutions, and encourage research at under -and postgraduate levels.

The competition is open to all graduates of European universities whose theses have been officially accepted or approved by the applicant’s teaching establishment during the previous three years. Theses, which must fall under the topic of PM, are judged by an international panel of experts from both academia and industry.

Competition winners are awarded €500 and €1,000 for theses at the Masters and Doctorate levels, respectively, courtesy of the journal Metals, an open-access journal by MDPI. In addition, each winner receives complimentary registration to the Euro PM2021 Congress & Exhibition, courtesy of the EPMA. The submission deadline is May 5, 2021. www.epma.com

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Industry News

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Incus Hammer Lab35 metal AM machine in full production Incus GmbH, Vienna, Austria, has begun production of its Hammer Lab35 metal Additive Manufacturing machine. The lithography-based metal manufacturing (LMM) process, defined as a Vat Photopolymerisation process (VPP) by ISO/ ASTM, has been developed by Incus to offer an economic method for developing prototypes and smallscale production of components to Metal Injection Moulding levels of quality.

The Hammer Lab35 was launched at Formnext 2019, shipping its first series Hammer Lab35 machine in March 2020 and continuing to grow its network of customers and partners throughout 2020. The machine offers a build speed of up to 100 cm3/h and a lateral resolution of 35 µm. The process can also be integrated into pim international 2016-09.pdf

1

existing MIM production lines or research and development departments as an option for small-scale production and prototyping.

Two Hammer Lab35 machines are already in operation at the Institute for Precious and Technology Metals at Pforzheim University and its spin-off company, Metshape. Within this cooperation, the process and system are reviewed and tested, and new materials and applications are being developed.

“Despite this challenging year, we had great collaborations with customers and have proven that LMM has the potential to increase performance and to reduce costs for small and mid-scale production, as well as for manufacturing parts featuring complex geometries,” stated Dr Gerald Mitteramskogler, Incus CEO.

Incus has begun production of its Hammer Lab35 metal Additive Manufacturing machine (Courtesy Incus GmbH) “Our team is extremely proud to have added 3D printing of metals with lithography to the manufacturing landscape. We highly appreciate the trust and patience of our first customers that have been helping to develop our product and our company,” continued Mitteramskogler. “We still have a journey ahead to scale up to mass-production, but we are eager to continue this path in 2021.” www.incus3d.com

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Sales Agent in Europe Burkard Metallpulververtrieb GmbH Tel. +49(0)5403 3219041 E-mail: burkard@bmv-burkard.com

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Industry News

Wittmann Group reports positive 2020 and announces investment plans Wittmann Group, the global manufacturer of injection moulding machines headquartered in Kottingbrunn, Austria, has reported it saw positive developments in its business during the second half of 2020, despite the slowdown in the automotive sector and general restrictions due to coronavirus (COVID-19). This trend, continuing as it is into 2021, has paved the way for the group to make further investments.

The group’s order intake has substantially increased from the second half of 2020 on, reaching new record levels in February 2021. It was added that this increase has been registered across all markets and sectors of industry.

“Based on the current order backlog, and continuing very positive order situation, we are looking forward to a two-digit increase in sales for 2021. From today’s point of view, we expect to reach the figure of 2019 once more and maybe even exceed it,” commented Michael Wittmann, Managing Director and CEO of the Wittmann Group.

Since the end of January 2021, Wittman Kunststoffgeräte GmbH has been operating under a new, international company name: Wittmann Technology GmbH. A remodelling of two of its Viennese sites is planned for 2021, including a major remodel of its headquarters and an extension of the production facility, extending office and test lab spaces and the R&D departments for mechatronics and software development.

Another investment is imminent at Wittmann Battenfeld’s Kottingbrunn headquarters, where a fully-automated pallet racking system with approximately 1,500 pallet bays will be built. Starting in May, construction will begin on the building’s expansion, which will house a separate storage and order picking areas, an assembly space for vertical and large machine models and a new electrical workshop. Completion is scheduled for 2023.

Rainer Weingraber, Managing Director of Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH, stated, “This investment will help us to make the production process even more efficient and to continue on the course of growth. It will be a further milestone for the production plant in Kottingbrunn.”

Further investment projects of the Wittmann Group for this fiscal year primarily concern the subsidiaries in China, Hungary and Bulgaria. Facilities in these locations are also planned for expansion. The companies within the Wittmann Group currently jointly operate eight production plants in five countries, with thirty-four sales companies in major industrial markets globally.

“With these planned investments we will be optimally prepared for the challenges of the next few years in the areas of development, as well as logistics and sales,” concluded Wittmann. www.wittmann-group.com

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Industry News

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Markforged to be publicly listed through merger with one Markforged, Watertown, Massachusetts, USA, has announced it will become a publicly listed company through a merger with one, a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by A-star and founded and led by technology industry veteran Kevin Hartz. The merger is expected to be completed in summer 2021.

Markforged will retain its name and will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ‘MKFG’.

Founded in 2013, Markforged is reported to have products across 10,000 global facilities, with 170 patents issued or pending, a full suite of AM machines, widespread use of its Digital Forge platform and a history of some 10 million parts additively manufactured so far.

“When I co-founded Markforged, our mission was to reinvent manufacturing by driving innovation and creating products and technologies that have the potential to transform an entire industry,” stated Greg Mark, the company’s founder and chairman.

“I’ve been thrilled that Markforged has thrived in its successful pursuit of these ambitions with a growing network of customers across major sectors and around the world. As we take Markforged to the next level, we have found the ideal partner in one.

Kevin and his team recognise not only Markforged’s ability to transform the way businesses innovate, but also the brilliant, passionate employees that make this company so unique.”

Kevin Hartz commented, “Markforged has already reinvented the Additive Manufacturing industry and is well positioned for robust growth benefiting from the velocity of digitisation. When launching one, our priority was to partner with a company with exceptional founders, visionaries and operators taking a differentiated approach in large and growing markets – Markforged ticked all of those boxes and more. We’re thrilled to be working closely with the entire Markforged team, comprised of highly engaged founders, visionary leaders and world-class engineers, uniquely positioned to lead a revolution in modern manufacturing.”

Transaction overview The combined company, upon closing, will have an approximate equity value of $2.1 billion, with over $425 million in gross proceeds to Markforged, assuming no redemptions by one shareholders. This includes $210 million PIPE at $10 per share from investors such as Baron Capital Group, funds and accounts managed

by BlackRock, Miller Value Partners,

Markforged partnered with an automotive manufacturer to produce additively manufactured copper weld shanks (Courtesy Markforged)

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Wasatch Global Investors and Wellington Management, as well as commitments from Microsoft’s Venture Fund M12 and Porsche Automobil Holding SE, existing Markforged shareholders. Net transactions proceeds will support the company’s continued growth across its key verticals and into new products, proprietary materials and expanded customer-use cases.

The transaction, already unanimously approved by the boards of directors of Markforged and one will be subject to approval by both companies’ stockholders and regulatory approvals, as well as other typical closing condition. Immediately after the combination is completed, current shareholders in Markforged are expected to hold 78% of the issued and outstanding shares of common.

Following the transaction’s completion, Shai Terem will continue in his role as Markforged president and CEO, and Kevin Hartz will join the board. “Our mission and vision are to reinvent manufacturing by bringing the power and agility of connected software to the world of industrial manufacturing,” added Terem. “Today is a pivotal milestone as we progress towards making that vision a reality.

We’ve been at the forefront of the Additive Manufacturing industry, and this transaction will enable us to build on our incredible momentum and provide capital and flexibility to grow our brand, accelerate product innovation and drive expanded adoption among customers across key verticals.”

“We’re focused on making manufacturing even better by capitalising on the huge opportunity ahead, and we are making this important leap through our new long-term partnership with Kevin Hartz and the entire team at one, a group of seasoned founders and operators with unparalleled experience. Their expertise and guidance will be invaluable as we continue to reinvent manufacturing today, so our customers can build anything they imagine tomorrow,” he concluded. www.markforged.com www.a-star.co

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Fig.2 Flow characteristic compared with pellets using the other company’s binder

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www.atect.co.jp Email :pimsales@atect.co.jp takehiko.kitamura@atect.co.jp March 2021 Powder Injection Moulding International

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Industry News

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Lithoz and Dr Jens Tartsch add Metoxit to project producing ceramic AM dental implants Building upon the previously announced collaboration between Lithoz GmbH, Vienna, Austria, and Dr Jens Tartsch, founder and president of the European Society for Ceramic Implantology (ESCI), oxide ceramics developer and producer Metoxit, Thayngen, Switzerland, has confirmed plans to additively manufacture ceramic dental implants. Lithoz believes this partnership will act as a step forward in the field of ceramic AM for dental and medical applications.

In modern dentistry, implants play an important role in the reconstruction and restoration of missing teeth, and, as such, must possess good bone ingrowth capabilities whilst withstanding the high levels of daily stress which will be placed upon them. The absence of defects, such as pores or cracks, is even more important within this industry than with many other ceramic parts.

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Bespoke, biocompatible dental parts manufactured with Lithoz’s VPP ceramic AM technology, LCM, are able to be quickly, efficiently produced (Courtesy Lithoz)

Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing (LCM), it will be possible to quickly and efficiently produce high-strength bespoke, biocompatible dental implants.

LCM doesn’t require moulds, unlike conventional manufacturing techniques, allowing for the production of more comparatively complex structures. The number of production steps is also significantly reduced, with the manufacture of intricate features, like inner threads or surface modifications, being carried out during the Additive Manufacturing process itself, ensuring the process is not only reliable, but cost effective.

Components produced via LCM fit to the restored crown and have high mechanical strength, while the ceramic materials used for these applications have biocompatible properties and facilitate adhesion between bone and implant. This method allows for the manufacture of various shapes and sizes, ensuring different patient needs can be met. Metoxit and Lithoz believes that this technology will enable Metoxit to provide the highest quality and safety for its dental patients.

Dr Tartsch stated, “This collaboration will result in a joint research project that will optimise the use of 3D printing processes and LCM technology for producing ceramic dental implants, making them suitable for broad range of applications in the future.” www.lithoz.com www.esci-online.com www.metoxit.com

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Industry News

Alloyed invests in ElectroThermal Mechanical testing Alloyed (formerly OxMet Technologies), Oxford, UK, reports that it has invested in an Electro-Thermal Mechanical Testing (ETMT) machine and is one of the only private companies globally to have this technology in-house for the benefit of its customers. The £300,000 investment in the ETMT machine, which is located in its metal research, testing and characterisation laboratory in Oxford, is said to make Alloyed a one-stop shop for a range of metal tests that would have previously only been possible through a number of different testing companies.

The ETMT machine can perform tensile and compression, creep (also called stress-rupture) and fatigue tests. Tests can be undertaken in air, vacuum or foreign gases such as argon. The temperature of the sample being tested is controlled by the Joule effect, meaning that temperatures in excess of 1000°C can be attained. The ETMT machine can also quickly heat and cool samples, affording the ability to cycle the temperature or perform in-situ heat treatments.

“While the ETMT machine adds hugely to our in-house technology portfolio used on behalf of an array of customers working on exacting AM and non-AM metal product applications, it is the combination of the technology with the vast experience of the Alloyed team that is the real strength,” stated Gael Guetard, Alloyed’s Rapid Alloy Research Centre Director.

“Alloyed’s unrivalled expertise lies in using advanced metallurgy, the latest simulation techniques, and a profound understanding of the factors that drive alloy performance,” he continued.

“The company focuses on multi-scale materials and multi-physics modelling, prediction and analysis of fatigue and failure (an area enhanced by the ETMT machine), and the optimisation of complex manufacturing processes, including AM. While many customers have come to us since we installed the ETMT machine to take advantage of its superior attributes, it is often a gateway for them to then take advantage of the array of services that Alloyed can offer for advanced metal manufacturing projects.”

Guetard added, “At Alloyed, we have equipped the ETMT with a state-of-the-art digital image correlation (DIC) system, which allows us to optically measure strain on the sample during testing. The machine is well suited for miniature test specimens, which allows us to obtain site-specific mechanical properties from large parts such as forgings.”

“We have also found it very valuable in measuring the properties of fine additively manufactured structures like lattices or thin walls. The machine is extremely versatile and allows for an array of tests to be undertaken under one roof.” https://alloyed.com

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Industry News

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Redwire successfully manufactures first ceramic part in space Redwire, Jacksonville, Florida, USA, has announced the successful manufacture of a ceramic part in space for the first time. The company used a Vat Photopolymerisation (VPP)-based process that is able to operate in orbit. Developed by Redwire subsidiary Made In Space, and known as the Ceramic Manufacturing Module (CMM), the machine utilised pre-ceramic resins to manufacture a single-piece turbine blisk (blade and disk) in orbit, along with a series of material test parts.

The successful manufacture of these samples in space is an important milestone to demonstrate the potential of the CMM to produce ceramic parts that exceed the quality of turbine components made on Earth, by taking advantage of the low-gravity environment. The samples produced will be returned to Earth on board the SpaceX Dragon CRS-21 spacecraft.

“This is an exciting milestone for space-enabled manufacturing and signals the potential for new markets that could spur commercial activity in low Earth orbit,” stated Tom Campbell, president of Made In Space. “Building on our in-space manufacturing expertise and our partnership with NASA, Redwire is developing advanced manufacturing processes on orbit that could yield sustainable demand from terrestrial markets and creating capabilities that will allow humanity to sustainably live and work in space.”

Michael Snyder, Redwire CTO, added, “The Ceramic Manufacturing Module’s successful on-orbit operation is an important step towards full-scale manufacturing of materials products that can improve industrial machines that we use on Earth. The space manufacturing capabilities demonstrated by CMM have the potential to stimulate demand in low Earth orbit from terrestrial markets which will be a key driver for space industrialisation.”

Redwire aims to demonstrate that ceramic manufacturing in microgravity could enable temperatureresistant, reinforced ceramic parts with better performance, including higher strength and lower residual stress, for high-performance applications such as turbines, nuclear plants, or internal combustion engines.

Made In Space first demonstrated its SLA technology through a series of parabolic flights in 2016, funded

by NASA’s Flight Opportunities programme. Using this technology, the CMM was developed in partnership with the ISS Research Integration Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. This ceramic facility is one of three ISS pilot payloads developed through this partnership, aiming to catalyse and scale demand for commercial capabilities in low Earth orbit by producing high-value products for terrestrial use.

Vol. 15 No. 1 © 2021 Inovar Communications Ltd

Close-up on the ceramic blisk produced by the CMM in orbit (Courtesy Redwire)

The successful CMM mission builds upon Redwire’s flight heritage, with four other Additive Manufacturing facilities developed by the Made In Space team having successfully flown and operated on the space station.

Additional technical partners include HRL Laboratories, Malibu and Sierra Turbines, Malibu and San Jose, California, USA, respectively. www.redwirespace.com

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MIM/PBF hybrid 316L stainless steel components evaluated The possibility of manufacturing high-value, innovative components in small series by using a hybrid manufacturing process that combines Metal Injection Moulding and Additive Manufacturing has attracted the attention of both industry and the research community. The MIM process can be used to fabricate relatively lower cost preforms, while Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) AM is deployed to add sections that can be personalised, customised or functionalised to meet specific technical requirements. This combination may also help to meet the constantly-increasing requirements for production efficiency and the growing legislative pressure for sustainability and reduced environmental impact of component manufacturing.

Research carried out by Aldi Mehmeti et al at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham (UK) in collaboration with the Universite Grenoble Alpes (France), IPC (France), MIMPlus Technologies (Germany) and MTC Coventry (UK) has focused on developing such a hybrid manufacturing (HM) process for 316L stainless steel.

The researchers have also investigated the mechanical properties and performance of the MIM/PBF interfaces in such hybrid stainless steel components, including the production efficiency of the investigated HM route.

Their results are published in a paper in the Rapid Prototyping Journal and are available online on the University of Birmingham Research Portal.

The authors used the design of a standard tensile test bar, made from 316L stainless steel powder, as the test component, as it was sufficiently small to allow batch production. The HM test bar could be used directly to investigate both the mechanical properties and the interface of the hybrid MIM/PBF component, which is shown in Fig. 1. The selected

Interface

Datum

(b)

(a)

Fig. 1 The design of the hybrid MIM/PBF tensile bar used as a test part; all dimensions in mm (left), together with an actual hybrid part (right). (From paper: ‘Mechanical Behaviour and Interface Evaluation of Hybrid MIM/PBF Stainless Steel Components’, by A Mehmeti, et al., Rapid Prototyping Journal, 2020, 27pp) design has a relatively small crosssectional area (interface), thus, any misalignments between MIM preforms and PBF sections would impact the mechanical performance of the produced hybrid components.

The authors designed an integrated system where the hybrid MIM/PBF components could be produced in batches on an AM fixture capable of holding twenty MIM preforms for each PBF build, as can be seen in Fig. 2.

The MIM 316L preforms were first produced using established MIM technology from MIMPlus. The feedstocks used comprised two different gas atomised 316L stainless steel powders, supplied by Sandvik and EOS, and a blend of these powders.

Injection moulding, debinding and sintering was undertaken in commercially-available equipment.

The sintered MIM preforms were cut

into two halves using a 90° band saw, with the ends of each half sanded to remove any burrs. Two surface treatments were applied to the interface surfaces of the MIM preforms (sand blasting and laser texturing), so that the different conditions of MIM preform surfaces allowed the bonding strength at the interface between the MIM preforms and PBF sections to be studied.

The PBF sections of the hybrid tensile bars were then built on the cut surfaces of the MIM preforms using an EOS M290 machine and EOS 316L stainless steel powder with the following process settings: laser power 180 W; scanning speed 1300 mm/s; energy density 83 J/mm3 and double or single laser exposure in a protective gas environment to prevent oxidation. This setup was used to manufacture the hybrid

Custom fixture

Interface Plate Build substrate/assembly

Fig. 2 Twenty MIM preforms mounted with a custom fixture onto a PBF build plate. (From paper: ‘Mechanical Behaviour and Interface Evaluation of Hybrid MIM/PBF Stainless Steel Components’, by A Mehmeti, et al., Rapid Prototyping Journal, 2020, 27pp) Custom fixture

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MIM section

Interface area

PBF section

Fig. 3 A SEM micrograph of a MIM/PBF interface (From paper: ‘Mechanical Behaviour and Interface Evaluation of Hybrid MIM/PBF Stainless Steel Components’, by A Mehmeti, et al., Rapid Prototyping Journal, 2020, 27pp)

316L steel MIM/PBF tensile bars.

The authors reported that, from microstructure analysis of MIM/PBF interfaces, there were no voids or cracks and could, thus, be considered ‘healthy’ (i.e., without any defects).

The tested mechanical properties of monolithic PBF 316L parts produced with the EOS 316L stainless steel powder were used as a reference for the performance of hybrid MIM/PBF components. PBF specimens were produced with two different build orientations, vertical and horizontal. In addition, a positive offset of 0.3 mm was applied on the STL model to produce half of them

with some machining allowance, while the rest were built to net shape.

As expected, the mechanical properties of the PBF tensile bars built horizontally and vertically were different (Table 1). The tensile bars built vertically had a lower Rm and higher Rp0.2 and elongation at rupture compared to the tensile bars built horizontally. These results can be explained with the anisotropy of PBF parts due to the dependence of the grain structure orientation on the PBF build orientation.

Heat treatment was also found to have a significant impact on the elongation at rupture and Rp0.2 for the

PBF specimens built horizontally. In particular, the heat treatment released the stresses in the material induced MIM section by the PBF process and, therefore, the elongation at rupture increased by approximately 13%, while Rp0.2 was lowered by approximately 15%. area Interface The mechanical properties of monolithic MIM 316L preforms were also examined and results are given PBF section in an Appendix to the paper, with a summary given in Table 1. As already stated, the MIM parts were produced using three different powders, but only the Sandvik 316L powder gave adequate properties. The mechanical properties of all MIM test bars that

Horizontal

PBF

PBF+Machined

Sandvik MIM

316L Standard ASTM A 420

Vertical

Rp0.2 (MPa)

Rm(MPa)

A (%)

Rp0.2 (MPa)

Rm(MPa)

A (%)

HT

265.6

632.2

50.1

284.3

567.3

62.9

SD

11.2

7.4

3.1

35.9

0.6

0.4

WHT

296.3

612.3

44.5

280.2

551.2

67.7

SD

19.5

9.2

2.2

21.3

3.3

3.0

HT

218.3

661.3

59.7

256.4

581.2

65.8

SD

18.3

3.1

2.2

20.1

8.1

3.3

WHT

272.6

643.2

53.0

290.3

567.5

66.7

SD

38.7

4.0

2.1

49.0

3.9

8.6

HT

216

539

72

SD

9

1

1

WHT

175

577

104

172

485

40

Note: HT denotes the specimens with the PBF heat treatment; SD – standard deviation of five measurements; WHT – no heat treatment

Table 1 Results of tensile tests carried out on the PBF and MIM 316L specimens. (From paper: ‘Mechanical Behaviour and Interface Evaluation of Hybrid MIM/PBF Stainless Steel Components’, by A Mehmeti, et al., Rapid Prototyping Journal, 2020, 27pp)

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Heat treated

Without heat treatment

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Hybrid specimens with ductile fracture

Hybrid specimen with brittle fracture

Rp0.2 (MPa)

Rm (MPa)

A (%)

Rp0.2 (MPa)

Rm (MPa)

A (%)

Average

175.7

549.7

62.4

169.0

522.1

43.6

SD

25.1

13.2

7.2

27.0

31.8

11.2

Average

170.3

514.9

69.2

SD

19.5

10.5

1.3

No brittle fracture

Table 2 Mechanical properties of hybrid 316L specimens with ductile and brittle fractures. (From paper: ‘Mechanical Behaviour and Interface Evaluation of Hybrid MIM/PBF Stainless Steel Components’, by A Mehmeti, et al, Rapid Prototyping Journal, 2020, 27pp) three controlled factors: MIM surface treatment (sawn, laser textured, sand blasted), PBF heat treatment (with and without) and PBF laser exposure (single or double). The obtained results show that the proposed HM route can produce hybrid MIM/ PBF components with consistent mechanical properties and interface performance. In fact, the performance of interfaces between MIM preforms and PBF sections were found to be similar and even better than the properties of monolithic MIM parts,

and they conformed fully to the ASTM standards for 316L stainless steel parts.

The authors stated that the investigated treatments of the MIM interface surfaces, such as laser texturing, sandblasting and as-received after sawing, did not have any impact on the interface performance nor on the fracture mode.

Available online at http://research. birmingham.ac.uk/portal/ www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/ journal/rpj

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were produced using Sandvik 316L powder, with and without heat treatment, conformed to the 316L standards, and the hybrid test MIM preforms were produced from this grade with only the EOS powder used to build the PBF sections. Compared to the properties of the 316L MIM specimens, the PBF specimens had a higher Rp0.2 and a lower elongation.

For the mechanical properties and quality of hybrid MIM/PBF components, the authors focused especially on the interface performance with

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CHINA’S LEADING SUPPLIER OF MIM POWDERS ADOPTING ADVANCED GAS AND WATER COMBINED ATOMIZATION TECHNOLOGY

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Industry News

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Thermal analysis techniques used for measuring thermal properties of two Ni-based MIM superalloys Wrought nickel-base superalloys are used extensively in aero engines and other high-temperature turbine applications because of their good thermal properties, from room temperature up to 1000°C–1200°C. Powder Metallurgy superalloys produced by Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) are already used in demanding applications such as turbine disks in aero engines and, whilst their mechanical properties have been well documented, there is a lack of thermal properties data in the published literature, compared with the data available for wrought superalloys.

The same applies to nickel-base superalloys produced using Metal Injection Moulding. Given that MIM has the potential to replace wrought-based superalloys in a number of applications, there is a need to generate thermal properties data for MIM materials, which can then be compared to the available data for typical wrought materials, and to identify any potential differences in the thermal behaviour of the MIM and wrought alloys.

Method Temperature range Heating rate Equipment Furnace type Sample carrier/ thermocouple type

Research done at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, has been focusing on measuring the thermal properties from room temperature (RT) to 1000°C–1200°C of two common aerospace superalloys produced by MIM: Inconel alloy 718 (IN718) and Inconel alloy 625 (IN625), and comparing and verifying the data obtained with measurements of Nickel 200, which is a commercially pure (99.6 wt.%) wrought nickel.

The results of this research were published in Powder Metallurgy (Vol.63, No.4, 2020, 277-287), and published online in August 2020.

The research involved testing sintered MIM IN718 and MIM IN625 superalloys, which had been produced using sub-22 µm powders of the respective alloys. The MIM IN625 samples were provided as-sintered, while the MIM IN718 samples also underwent a solutionising and precipitation hardening heat treatment. The chemistry of the as-received MIM samples was

measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). All elements were found to be within specifications, apart from Nb in the IN718 which was 0.15 wt.% below the specified range. Table 1 summarises details of the tests carried out and also provides the size/ mass of the materials tested.

Four types of thermal analyses were conducted on each material as follows: dilatometry for coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for specific heat capacity (Cp), laser flash analysis (LFA) for thermal diffusivity (α) and DSC for melting temperature and heat of fusion. For all the tests, the furnace was pre-evacuated with a turbo pump (~10−4 mbar) before backfilling with a purge gas of 99.999% argon. Analysis of the test data was conducted with the Netzsch Proteus software supplied with the equipment.

For the CTE results measured by a dilatometer, the researchers used two different sample lengths of Ni200 to match the different lengths of the MIM IN718 and IN625 samples (12 and 25 mm, respectively). This was done to verify that both lengths could be used to provide accurate results.

CTE results for wrought Ni200 are

Coefficient of thermal expansion

Specific heat capacity

Thermal diffusivity

Melting temperature and heat of fusion

ASTM E228-11 DIN 51045-1

ASTM D1269-11

ASTM E1461-13 ASTM E2582-09

ASTM E794-06 ASTM E793-06

100–1200°C

100–1200 °C

20–1000 °C

n/a

2 and 5°C/min

10°C/min

n/a

20°C/min

Netzsch DIL 402 C

Netzsch DSC 404 F1

Netzsch LFA 427

Netzsch DSC 404 F1

SiC

Pt

SiC

Pt

Alumina/S-type

S-type

Alumina/S-type

S-type

Gas

99.999% Ar

Flow rate

120 mL/min

50 mL/min

150 mL/min

50 mL/min

6 mm Ø12 mm long (IN718) 25 mm long (IN625)

~4×4×2 mm 130–170 mg

12.25–12.5 mm Ø2-3 mm thick

7–14 mg

Sample size/mass

Table 1 Summary of thermal analysis tests undertaken for MIM IN625 and MIM IN718 superalloys. (From paper: ‘Thermal property measurements of metal injection moulded Inconel 625 and Inconel 718 using analysis techniques’, by J O’Flynn et al, Powder Metallurgy, Vol. 63, No. 4, 2020, 277-287)

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shown in Fig. 1(a) as the solid curve and compared to existing published values plotted as points. Fig. 1b and c shows the CTE results for the two MIM superalloys, as well as for the publicly-available data for the wrought form of these alloys and the tested CTE values for Ni200.

The researchers stated that the current MIM IN625 measurements show very good agreement with the recently reported results, which were also obtained by pushrod dilatometry, being within 1% throughout. The current MIM IN718 CTE data were slightly higher than the published references, but were still within, at most, 4% of product values available from technical brochures and 6% of the other published sources.

For specific heat capacity measurements the researchers found the results obtained to be in good agreement with the literature at lower temperatures, in particular with the most recently published data. The current measurements are said to match the data in the reliable NIST-JANAF and Touloukian published data very closely at lower temperatures, then begin to fall lower at higher temperatures, being 3% lower at 730°C, 4% lower at 830°C and 6% lower at 930°C. All the results show a peak at ~340°C–360°C, which corresponds to the Curie point of nickel.

The researchers reported that published thermal diffusivity data was scarcer than for the other thermal properties measured, but found that the results obtained for the two MIM superalloys appeared to agree well with the data that were available. Both MIM IN625 and MIM IN718 showed an overall rise in diffusivity with temperature. Viewing the measured values along with the literature results, IN625 appears to undergo a transition between 700°C and 800°C. IN718 may also undergo a transition beginning in the range of 600°C–700°C, but, from the currently available data, it is not as clearly defined as with IN625.

For conductivity, the results calculated for all three materials - wrought N200, MIM IN625 and MIM IN718 - were found to lie within 3% of the

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Fig. 1 CTE measurements from dilatometer with Tref = 20 C. Shading shows range of measurements for a) two samples of 25 mm wrought Ni200 (only one sample of 12 mm wrought Ni200 was tested), b) three samples of 25 mm MIM IN625 and c) two samples of 12 mm MIM IN718. (From paper: ‘Thermal property measurements of metal injection moulded Inconel 625 and Inconel 718 using analysis techniques’, by J O’Flynn et al, Powder Metallurgy, Vol. 63, No. 4, 2020, 277-287)

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spread of published values for wrought counterparts, apart from Ni200 which was ~4–7% lower at 1000°C, IN625 which was ~8% and ~5% lower at 23°C and 200°C, respectively, and IN718 at 800°C and 1000°C which was ~8% lower. The authors stated that error in the calculated thermal conductivity would be expected to be larger than for the other results, since it represents a combination of all three thermal analysis tests and their cumulative sources of error.

The results of DSC traces of three repeated melting peaks for each of

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the two MIM superalloys showed that onset temperatures were all the same for IN625, within 5°C for IN718, and the peak areas were within a range of ± 4%. For IN625, the melting onset was measured to be 1295°C and is in reasonable agreement with the value of 1290°C published in product brochures. For IN718, the melting onset was measured to be 1245°C for the first melt. This differs by 15°C from the value of 1260°C published in the product brochures. www.tandfonline.com/toc/ypom20/ currentt

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Plansee Group becomes majority shareholder in Ceratizit Group Austria’s Plansee Group has reported that, as of March 1, 2021, it holds the majority interest in the carbide tool production company Ceratizit SA, headquartered in Mamer, Luxembourg. Formed in 2002 as the result of a merger between Plansee Tizit and Cerametal, Plansee Group’s share in Ceratizit initially accounted for 50%.

The parties have agreed to keep the extent of the acquired interest and any financial details confidential, although it is reported to be the largest transaction in Plansee’s history. It was added that Plansee Group holds options to acquire the remaining stake in Ceratizit in the coming years.

Since its inception, Ceratizit’s sales volume has tripled and the company has evolved into a leading company within the hard metal industry.

“We want to continue Ceratizit’s success story more quickly and more effectively, by being the majority shareholder,” stated Karlheinz Wex, spokesman of the Plansee Group executive board.

“Our objective is to create a fully integrated corporate group for the production and processing of molybdenum and tungsten materials.”

Wex sees potential for synergies in the supply of tungsten raw material, in close cooperation on digitalisation projects and in service functions. Some essential elements in this process have been outlined, with further integration of Plansee High Performance Materials (products made of molybdenum and tungsten metals) and Ceratizit (tungsten carbide tools) and the future safeguarding of the raw materials supply. www.plansee.com www.ceratizit.com

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Novel binder composition for lower energy consumption processing of MIM 316L stainless steel There are increasing demands on manufacturers to use more efficient Metal Injection Moulding feedstocks made from environmentally-efficient materials which also contribute to reduced energy consumption in processing. This is particularly the case where feedstocks developed for

MIM can also be adapted for Additive Manufacturing (AM) and where the demands on binder systems in the feedstocks could limit the efficiency of both processing routes.

Primary (backbone) binders for feedstocks containing high loadings of metal or ceramic powders are

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mostly based on polyolefins (low- and high-density polyethylenes and polypropylene). However, recent research at the Department of Production Engineering, Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Czech Republic, has shown that semicrystalline waxes, such as carnauba wax (CW) and acrawax (AW), can have a promising potential as a substitute for polyolefin backbone binder in MIM feedstock compositions containing high metal powder loadings.

B Hausnerova and M Novak reported, in a paper published in the journal Polymers (2020, No. 12, 1296), that novel feedstocks containing semicrystalline AW or CW wax and paraffin wax (PW), combined with polyethylene glycol and modifier, and using gas atomised 316L stainless steel powder at a loading of 60 vol.%, could be optimised to provide defectfree parts. Compared with currently available polyolefines-based binder materials, the developed feedstock could be processed at substantially lower (about 100°C) mixing and moulding temperatures, as well as at reduced debinding and sintering times, thereby reducing energy requirements and enhancing production efficiency. Simultaneously, the authors reported better mechanical properties in terms of elongation and tensile strength of the sintered 316L stainless steel part in comparison to commercial mass production feedstock.

Previous research undertaken by the authors on the interactions among various polymers used as binder components in MIM feedstock had already established the optimum composition of the novel feedstock.

This comprised 59 wt.% polyethylene glycol varying in molecular weight (PEG 4000 and PEG 6000), 28 wt.% AW or CW, 12 wt.% PW, and 1 wt.% stearic acid (SA). The gas atomised 316L stainless steel powder used in this research had a particle size of 90% – 16 µm and powder loading was 60 vol.%. The optimised temperature profiles during compounding of the binder constituents and metal powder were (65°C/60°C/55°C) for the compound containing AW and

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(60°C/60°C/50°C) for CW-based Material feedstock. The authors reported that these mixing temperatures Injection moulding parameter AW CW are about 100°C lower than those Feedstock Feedstock recommended for currently available commercial polyolefin materials.

Temperature—nozzle [°C] 75 65 The AW- and CW-based feedstocks Temperature—zone 1 [°C] 95 70 were injection moulded into rectanTemperature—zone 2 [°C] 85 90 gular shapes as well as standard tensile test samples; the injection Temperature—zone 3 [°C] 80 80 moulding conditions and temperature Temperature—zone 4 [°C] 75 60 profiles are shown in Table 1. The authors reported data on the apparent Temperature—zone 5 [°C] 20 30 viscosity of the AW- and CW-based Screw stroke [mm] 60 70 feedstocks depending on shear rates.

Debinding of the 4 mm thick Cooling time [s] 30 10 moulded samples was first done in Injection pressure [bar] 1000 500 demineralised water containing a Hold pressure/time corrosion inhibitor at 50°C, and this 800/5 400/5 1 [bar]/[s] allowed the creation of pore channels through the green components.

Hold pressure/time 150/2 50/0.5 The optimum debinding time for 2 [bar]/[s] AW-based feedstock was determined Table 1 Injection moulding conditions for acrawax (AW) and carnauba wax to be 7 h to achieve a relative mass (CW) based 316L stainless steel feedstocks (From paper: ‘Environmentally loss of 4 ± 0.1 wt.%, which represents Mixer Extruders Z Blade Mixers Efficient 316L Stainless Steel Feedstocks for Powder Injection Moulding’, by B the loss of 80.5 wt.% of the PEG Hausnerova and M Novak, Polymers 2020, 12, 1296) binder component. For the CW-based

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feedstock, surface delamination was already visible after 2 h of the PEG removal causing a broad scatter of the data and, after 15 h, the weight loss was still less than 3 wt.% (60.5% of PEG) accompanied by severe crack formations.

The preferred AW-based samples were then thermally debound and sintered under optimised conditions, as shown in Fig. 1, and the influence of sintering speed (5°C, 10°C and 15°C/min) on the mechanical properties of the samples was investigated. Thermal debinding is done in a nitrogen atmosphere with a pressure of 300 mbar from room temperature up to 250°C. The initial debinding speed was 3°C/min with holds of 60 min; the speed was then lowered to 2°C/min from 250°C to 450°C and holds of 20 min, at which temperature the rest of the binder is thermally removed. Finally, sintering is carried out at different speeds: 5°C, 10°C and 15°C/min from 450°C up to 1360°C, which was held for 150 min. This regime was able to shorten the sintering stage of the process to 600 min for 316L stainless steel, which is substantially shorter than for processing 316L using polyolefin binders.

Table 2 summarises the mechanical properties of the AW-based sintered parts obtained for various sintering speeds. These properties were explained by the differences in the relative sintered densities and microstructure. The speed of 5°C/min provided the highest tensile strength of 557 ± 34 MPa and compared well to ≥ 450 MPa for the commercial production stainless steel feedstock. The yield stresses achieved are also substantially higher than the commercial feedstock.

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Fig. 1 Thermal debinding and sintering profile optimised for AW-based feedstock (300 mbar, nitrogen) (From paper: ‘Environmentally Efficient 316L Stainless Steel Feedstocks for Powder Injection Moulding’, by B Hausnerova and M Novak, Polymers 2020, 12, 1296)

Speed (°C/min)

Mechanical Property

5

10

15

Tensile strength [MPa]

557±34

535±45

546±41

Yield strength [MPa]

264±6

267±5

264±2

Elongation [%]

30±8

25±11

27±9

Sintered density [g/cm3]

7.27

7.16

7.22

150±6

145±7

145±11

Vickers Microhardness [HV]

Table 2 Effect of sintering speed on mechanical properties of AW-based 316L stainless steel PIM parts (From paper: ‘Environmentally Efficient 316L Stainless Steel Feedstocks for Powder Injection Moulding’, by B Hausnerova and M Novak, Polymers 2020, 12, 1296)

The authors concluded that using the novel AW-based stainless steel feedstock provided efficiency enhancements of at least 300 kWh of energy for each sintering cycle using the laboratory-scale sintering

furnace, plus substantial savings in processing time and in the consumption of chemicals and protective atmospheres (hydrogen was substituted with much lower-cost nitrogen). www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers

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Since the year 1996 The No.1 MIM powder manufacturer in China with a capacity of 6,000 TONS/ Year in the year 2020 中国最大MIM粉末厂家，始于1996，预计2020年产能将达到6000吨。

Producaon process: Water-gas combined atomizaaon, Gas atomizaaon 生产工艺：水气联合和气雾化

MIM powder：304L 316L 17-4PH and F75 主要产品：304L 316L 17-4PH 和 F75等

Main applicaaon industry: MIM, 3D prinang etc 主要应用领域： MIM 3D打印等

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Internaaonal sales: Vivian Email: lidepowder@gmail.com Tel: +86 311 89650555 Mobile: +86 13290511818 Web：www.lidemimpowder.com

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Optimising sintering parameters to achieve high impact strength in MIM low alloy steels Low alloy mild steels are used extensively in applications where high reliability and resistance to dynamic loads are critical, as, for example, in metal injection moulded parts used in the military, automotive and other industries. Sintered and heat treated steels produced from Catamold®

8740 feedstock (BASF SE) can meet these requirements, particularly impact strength, when sintered to high density and with a homogeneous microstructure.

Researchers at the National Technical University of Ukraine’s Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

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and the Kurdyumov Institute for Metal Physics, both in Kiev, Ukraine, have recently focused their research on optimising the sintering parameters for producing Catamold 8740 low alloy steel by MIM, by studying chemical homogeneity as a function of heating rate, sintering temperature, holding time, and subsequent heat treatment. The results of their research have been published in a paper: ‘Optimization of the sintering parameters for materials manufactured by powder injection molding’, by S V Zavadiuk, et al, in Powder Metallurgy and Metal Ceramics, Vol. 59, Nos. 1-2, May 2020, pp. 22-28.

The reported research used a low alloy steel powder MIM feedstock, designated Catamold 8740, as the starting material. The powder comprised a mechanical mixture of fine elemental iron and nickel powder and gas atomised pre-alloyed and master alloy powders of different particle sizes (carbonyl iron, nickel, Fe–Mo, Fe–Cr, Fe–Si-Mo, Fe–Si). The powder/binder feedstock was injection moulded to produce rectangular test bars measuring 55 mm x 10 mm x 5 mm.

The catalytic binder was removed from the moulded test pieces in a furnace designed exclusively for the catalytic debinding of Catamold 8740 feedstock and the secondary (polyethylene) binder component was thermally removed in a nitrogen atmosphere. The test samples were then sintered using a horizontal vacuum furnace.

The authors reported that, in the early stages of sintering at up to 900°C and holding time of 60 min, the porous metal matrix shows chemical inhomogeneity with doping inclusions. Higher heating rates – increasing from 2°C to 5°C/min – and higher sintering temperature (1270°C to 1340°C) were found to promote a more homogeneous microstructure, with pores being uniformly distributed over the cross-section. This, the authors attributed to the fact that higher heating rates inhibit surface diffusion in the early sintering stage

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and, as a result, encourage greater volume diffusion of the doping atoms at elevated temperatures (900°C to 1340°C).

The result is that the impact strength of Charpy V-notch test samples increased from 10.39 J/cm2, when sintered at 1270°C and heating rate of 2°C/min, to 11.52 J/cm2 when sintering temperature is increased to 1340°C and heating rate is increased to 5°C/min. Table 1 shows the effect of sintering conditions, such as heating and holding time, on the shrinkage and density of the Catamold 8740 steel.

When holding time at a sintering temperature of 1340°C increased from 30–90 min, the material became denser, the pores rounded, and the ferrite matrix homogeneous.

However, the impact strength of the heat treated Catamold 8740 steel was found to decrease by a factor of 1.4 because of coarser grain sizes and brittle fracture. Heat treatment involved quenching in nitrate at 280°C and tempering in a batch furnace at 550°C with a holding time of 60 min. The tempered samples acquired a sorbite structure with 30–35 HRC hardness.

The impact strengths of the different sintered Catamold 8740 samples, as determined by testing Charpy V-notch samples, are shown in Fig. 1. The highest impact strength is shown by the samples sintered at 1340°C at a heating rate of 5°C/ min and a holding time of 30 min.

As stated above, the impact strength decreases when holding time increases to 90 min, due to grain coarsening commonly found with longer sintering times. However, the grain size decreases after heat treatment and is the same for all samples. The sintering temperature

Sintering conditions

Shrinkage, %

Density, g/cm3

60

–

–

2

30

20.81

7.45

1270

5

30

18.72

7.03

1270

5

120

19.98

7.30

1340

5

30

20.429

7.46

1340

5

90

21.18

–

T, ºC

Heating rate, °C/min

Holding time, min

900

5

1270

Table 1 Shrinkage and density of the Catamold 8740 Material as a function of sintering conditions. (From paper: Optimization of the sintering parameters for materials manufactured by powder injection molding’, by S V Zavadiuk et al, Powder Metallurgy and Metal Ceramics, Vol. 59, Nos. 1-2, May 2020, pp.

22-28)

Fig. 1 Impact strength of the Catamold 8740 material after sintering (1, 3, 5) and subsequent heat treatment (2, 4, 6) in different conditions: (1, 2) 1270°C, 2°C/min, 30 min; (3, 4) 1340°C, 5°C/min, 30 min; (5, 6) 1340°C, 5°C/min, 90 min. (From paper: Optimization of the sintering parameters for materials manufactured by powder injection molding’, by S V Zavadiuk et al, Powder Metallurgy and Metal Ceramics, Vol. 59, Nos. 1-2, May 2020, pp. 22-28)

was also found to influence other characteristics – for example, Table 1 shows that density and shrinkage increase with sintering temperature,

with simultaneous improvement of the chemical homogeneity, thus improving the mechanical properties. www.springer.com/journal/11106

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Modifying POM-based binder with hyperbranched polymer for enhanced uniformity and part properties The improvement of the binder systems used in feedstocks for Metal Injection Moulding has always been one of the key challenges in MIM research. Polyoxymethylene (POM) as a linear polymer compound, the main component of POM-based binders, is used extensively in feedstocks for MIM part processing using catalytic debinding technology.

POM provides good fluidity and shape retention for feedstocks mixed with metal powders, but POM-based binders can also lead to the feedstock viscosity being too high, which can result in moulding issues such as under injection and cracking.

It has been established that the rheological properties of POM-based binders could be improved by the addition of a small amount of

hyperbranched polymer HPN202.

Research undertaken at the State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha, China, in combination with Changsha Juzhong Metallurgy Technology Co, Ltd, also based in Changsha, has

Component

reported on the effects of adding a hyperbranched polymer on the performance of POM-based feedstock during injection moulding, as well as on the mechanical properties and dimensional accuracy of 17-4 PH stainless steel MIM parts. The results of the research were published in Materials Research Express (March 6, 2020, p. 15) In the published paper, authors Xingquan Jiang and colleagues stated that the research involved a

Melting point (°C)

Decomposition temperature (°C)

POM

169

220~257

HDPE

130

413~500

EVA

80

380~530

SA

65.9

132~475

HPN202

120

230~250

Table 1 Properties of the individual POM binder components (From paper: ‘Study of hyperbranched polymer on POM-based binder in metal injection molding’ by Xingquan Jiang, et al, Materials Research Express 2020, 125377)

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gas atomised 17-4 PH stainless steel powder, having an average particle size of 22 µm, which was mixed with a POM-based binder comprising 78–83 wt.% polyoxymethylene, 17 wt.% high-density polyethylene + ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (HDPE + EVA), 1 wt.% stearic acid (SA) and from 0 to 5 wt.% hyperbranched polymer (HPN202). The physical properties of the individual components of the modified POM-based binder are shown in Table 1. 17-4 PH stainless steel powder loading in the mixture was 58%.

After mixing, the powder/binder mixtures were extruded through a single-screw extruder and crushed to obtain the four different feedstocks marked as F1 (no HPN202 addition), F2 (1 wt.% HPN202 addition), F3 (3 wt.% HPN202 addition), and F4 (5 wt.% HPN202 addition). The resulting feedstocks were then injection moulded at a temperature of 195°C and injection pressure of 90 bar to produce tensile testing bars and

Fig. 1 Spiral lengths of feedstocks achieved at different temperatures. (From paper: ‘Study of hyperbranched polymer on POM-based binder in metal injection molding’ by Xingquan Jiang, et al., Materials Research Express 2020, 125377) parts for bending tests. An Archimedes spiral mould was also used to inject the four feedstocks at different temperatures (185°C, 195°C, 205°C) at injection speeds of 75 mm s-1.

The fluidity of the four different feedstocks was measured by the lengths achieved in injection moulding the spirals at the three different temperatures, and the

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results are shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shows the green moulded spiral parts produced from the four 17-4 PH stainless steel feedstocks. It was found that an increase in the amount of added HPN202 increases spiral length significantly, with feedstock F4 achieving the longest length of 27.8 mm. The authors stated that this is due to the highly-branched structure of the added HPN202 polymer, which is difficult to crystallise and has no chain entanglement as compared with the linear macromolecule. The molecular chain itself and the intermolecular entanglement lowers the intermolecular interaction force, thereby lowering the viscosity and improving feedstock fluidity.

The authors also showed, in Fig. 1, that, as the injection temperature increases, the fluidity of the feedstock will also increase. 195°C was found to be the optimum injection temperature.

Feedstock uniformity is obviously a key to avoiding uneven density and poor dimensional accuracy in Powder Injection Moulding, and the authors stated that the addition of HPN202 polymers improves the uniformity of powder dispersion in the POM binder.

The authors further stated that addition of the HPN202 hyperbranched polymer to POM-based PIM feedstock provided good compatibility with the original POM-based binder system and that the same injection moulding process and debinding/ sintering conditions can be used for the production of MIM parts. The binder removal rates during debinding of the unmodified and three modified feedstocks are shown in Fig. 3.

They also reported that the HPN202 addition was found to improve the flexural strength and impact strength of the green parts. For example, when the HPN202 polymer content is 3 wt.%, the flexural strength reached 18.11 MPa and the impact strength is up to 17.33 kJm−2. The tensile strength and dimensional accuracy of the sintered 17-4 PH stainless steel parts are also said to be improved. www.iopscience.iop.org/ journal/2053-1591

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a)

b)

c)

d)

Fig. 2 Green 17-4 PH stainless steel spiral parts moulded from different feedstocks a) F1, b) F2, c) F3 and d) F4 (From paper: ‘Study of hyperbranched polymer on POM-based binder in metal injection molding’ by Xingquan Jiang, et al., Materials Research Express 2020, 125377)

Fig. 3 Binder removal rate in the four POM-based 17-4 PH feedstocks (From paper: ‘Study of hyperbranched polymer on POM-based binder in metal injection molding’ by Xingquan Jiang, et al., Materials Research Express 2020, 125377)

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Bosch Advanced Ceramics and Lithoz

Bosch Advanced Ceramics: Driving ceramic Additive Manufacturing for series production with Lithoz If you were looking to build a ‘dream-team’ to drive the series production capabilities of ceramic Additive Manufacturing, there’s a good chance that Bosch Advanced Ceramics and Lithoz would be high on your list.

Both are pioneers in their respective fields: Bosch, a global multinational and in many ways the original Ceramic Injection Moulding company, and Lithoz, a ‘startup that has grown up’ and is now a global leader in ceramic AM machines. PIM International’s Nick Williams tells the story of their cooperation and their mission to use ceramic AM for series production.

The production of technical ceramic components has a long history at Robert Bosch GmbH, one of Germany’s industrial giants and a widely recognised name throughout the world thanks to its automotive heritage and leading position in the consumer goods and power tools sectors. The mass production of Bosch’s groundbreaking ceramic spark plug bodies for the automotive industry began at the start of the 20th century and, in 1939, the company registered its first patent for an early version of Ceramic Injection Moulding (CIM).

Today, technical ceramic component manufacturing at Bosch continues apace. In 2016, various operations were brought under the umbrella of Bosch Advanced Ceramics, a new agile organisation that was created as a corporate startup within Bosch Group. Here, existing expertise in technical ceramics production, primarily by CIM, powder compaction and green machining, is used to help drive forward the advancement of the next generation of ceramic processing technology: Additive Manufacturing.

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Bosch is, of course, also a major producer of metal injection moulded components. Both its MIM and CIM expertise were developed at the company’s manufacturing plant in Immenstadt, Southern Germany, which is now home to Bosch Advanced Ceramics (Fig. 1). Just as

Bosch’s expertise in plastic injection moulding furthered the past development of MIM and CIM production, a philosophy of leveraging its existing expertise in materials and process technologies continues as Bosch Advanced Ceramics drives forward its ceramic AM capabilities.

Fig. 1 A view inside the state of the art Powder Injection Moulding facility at Bosch Advanced Ceramics (Courtesy Bosch Advanced Ceramics)

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Fig. 2 Front and rear views of a contact holder component for lambda sensors, a common component found in the exhaust systems of combustion engines. Manufactured by Bosch in very high volumes, the parts show the complexity that can be achieved by Ceramic Injection Moulding. The part is made from alumina and has a diameter of 10 mm (Courtesy Bosch Advanced Ceramics)

The Immenstadt plant has been significantly expanded in recent years and now produces many millions of ceramic parts per year for a wide variety of in-house applications, as well as for external customers in markets that include consumer goods, electronics, healthcare and, of course, automotive (Fig. 2 and 3).

The introduction of ceramic AM at Bosch Advanced Ceramics Speaking on the decision to pursue ceramic AM at Bosch Advanced Ceramics, Oliver Kriese, founder and Chief Sales/Marketing Officer at Bosch Advanced Ceramics, explained to PIM International, “We started analysing Additive Manufacturing technologies for technical ceramics in 2013. It quickly became apparent that the choice of suitable technologies for our specific range of applications was very limited. Our biggest driver was to significantly shorten the development

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times for new products. Especially at the beginning of a component's development, when there is a high design variance, it is particularly important to be able to produce functional prototypes quickly.”

customers were impressed with what the technology could deliver.”

From the start, the company worked with Austria’s Lithoz GmbH as its technology provider. As is the story with so many successful

“As is the story with so many successful implementations of AM technologies, Bosch Advanced Ceramics took the opportunity to collaborate closely with an AM machine manufacturer to advance the technology to meet its specific requirements.”

However, Kriese explained, “even in the first phase of testing ceramic AM technology, it became apparent that there was a potential for series production. In terms of precision and design freedom, we achieved good results very quickly and our

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implementations of AM technologies, Bosch Advanced Ceramics took the opportunity to collaborate closely with an AM machine manufacturer to advance the technology to meet its specific requirements. “Thanks to the process expertise that has

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Bosch Advanced Ceramics and Lithoz

Fig. 3 A lens carrier part used in professional laser distance measuring equipment. Several optical lenses are assembled on the lens carrier, which have to be positioned with absolute precision. The image shows from, left to right, stages from the CIM production cycle: raw material, compounded feedstock, green part, sintered part, and final assembly (Courtesy Bosch Advanced Ceramics)

been gained over decades of Ceramic Injection Moulding within Bosch Advanced Ceramics we were able to contribute some technical improvements in close cooperation with Lithoz to further enhance this technology.

As a result, today we are able to offer our customers series production with stable processes and reliable quality,” stated Kriese.

So, whilst initial interest in AM at Bosch Advanced Ceramics was as a prototyping technology, the goal soon changed to using the technology for functional parts manufactured in series. Using its currently-installed machine capacity from Lithoz, Bosch Advanced Ceramics is now able to deliver volume orders for series parts by ceramic AM. “Our mission is to be the leading supplier for industrial manufacturing of ceramic products with AM,” continued Kriese. “With our current AM machine capacity, we can already deliver runs of several thousand parts a year. In the future, we will continue to expand our capacity as required.”

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Lithoz’s LCM technology The most widely-used processes for additively manufacturing highstrength, high-density precision ceramic components are based on Vat Photopolymerisation (VPP).

Lithoz calls its version of the process Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing, or LCM. Such technologies are well suited to ceramic applications where high precision and accuracy are required in combination with a density and mechanical performance that are similar to CIM parts.

The company’s LCM process uses what it calls Digital Light Processing (DLP) to form three-dimensional objects layer by layer via the selective photopolymerisation of a ceramicloaded liquid formulation. As in all AM technologies, the first step is the creation of a CAD model of the part, which is used to prepare the build job. The job information is then digitally transferred to the AM machine directly from a computer.

The CeraFab machines developed

by Lithoz allow for photocurable ceramic slurry to be automatically dosed and, subsequently, coated on top of a transparent vat. A movable building platform descends into the slurry, which is selectively exposed to visible light from below the vat. The layer image is generated via a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) coupled to a projection system. By repeating this process, a three-dimensional green part is generated layer by layer. The parts produced consist of ceramic particles embedded in an organic photopolymer network.

The technology thus leverages decades of ceramic powder processing experience. By using the same powders and furnaces as CIM, ceramic parts with outstanding mechanical properties and surface quality are produced. As with CIM, in thermal post-processing, the binder is removed and the green parts are sintered, resulting in fully-dense parts.

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Fig. 4 One of several Lithoz ceramic AM machines installed at Bosch Advanced Ceramics (Courtesy Bosch Advanced Ceramics)

A broad range of ceramic slurries are available for Lithoz's LCM as standard materials: alumina, zirconia, silicon nitride, biodegradable ß-tricalcium phosphate and hydroxyapatite (and mixtures of the two), as well as silica-based materials. In addition, alumina-toughened zirconia and zirconia-toughened alumina, together with cordierite, magnesia, glass ceramics, piezo- and transparent ceramics have successfully been processed using LCM.

An evolving partnership Commenting on how Lithoz is able to help companies such as Bosch Advanced Ceramics remain leaders in their field, Dr Johannes Homa, Lithoz CEO, explained that the team’s focus is on offering customers highlyexperienced support that enables the seamless integration of ceramic AM technology into businesses and, when the time comes, offers support

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for a quick scale-up of capabilities for series production. “We see ourselves not only as a machine supplier, but as a partner for our customers,” he stated. “We have learned that this partnership approach is the key to successfully implementing an application. We support our customers along the whole process chain and have expertise in all relevant areas. If you want to successfully implement AM, you have to consider machine, material, process and design. We make sure that all of these four areas work together for our customers’ application.”

“It has to be remembered that AM is a real production technology and, as with any other production technology, you need to master it. We supported Bosch Advanced Ceramics with both process development and training to enable the company to operate at the cutting edge of ceramic AM.” “Companies such as Bosch Advanced Ceramics have explored

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AM by taking a more strategic approach and fully leveraging the opportunities presented. The company was already working with Ceramic Injection Moulding and was waiting for a complementary technology that, at once, fulfils its high quality standards whilst offering new opportunities in terms of design freedom. Bosch Advanced Ceramics has, since it first invested in one of our machines, recognised AM as a new manufacturing process as opposed to a purely prototyping technology, and we were, therefore, working from the very beginning to fully integrate it into its business. The team at Bosch Advanced Ceramics knew that it would take some time to educate and inform their customers, whilst also mastering the technology themselves.”

Instead of trying to solve a specific problem in a specific niche within the organisation – following a bottom-up approach – forward-looking organisations such as Bosch Advanced Ceramics look at the bigger picture, find the best starting point and develop robust roadmaps for AM.

Ceramic AM: Enabling the wider use of ceramics It remains the case that many designers and engineers have a limited awareness of the potential of ceramics as a material class for engineered components. This has, to some extent, limited the growth of CIM when compared to MIM, which has been more easily able to benefit from ‘conversions’ from other metal forming processes.

Homa believes that ceramic AM has the potential to overcome many of the barriers that have, in the past, limited the use of technical ceramic components. "What we have learned from industry is that AM is making it easier for ceramics to penetrate into industrial applications, as it helps to bypass the costly and timeconsuming bottleneck of prototyping.

By allowing companies and engineers to easily access ceramic prototypes and functional parts, the ceramics

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Bosch Advanced Ceramics and Lithoz

Fig. 5 View inside a fully automated quality inspection machine at Bosch Advanced Ceramics used for the quality control of ceramic parts, including series parts produced by AM (Courtesy Bosch Advanced Ceramics)

industry can quickly showcase its benefits compared to other classes of materials.”

“The long lifespan of ceramic components compared to metals will also allow for many metal parts to be replaced by ceramics, and this will open up huge new business potential for the ceramics industry. Whether the parts will be then additively manufactured or ceramic injection moulded in the future is not of so much importance – the technologies can then work to complement each other. We have seen this happen, and this is extremely exciting.”

So, whilst ceramic AM is enabling the rapid production of fully-functional prototypes and small-series production of established ceramic components, it is in the production of a new generation of components, specifically designed for AM, that even greater value lies. It is also here, however, that the limited understanding of AM amongst designers is resulting in a slower pace of

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adoption. The bottleneck slowing new ceramic AM application development is around design engineers understanding the design freedoms, and constraints, of AM. Engineers have learned, in the past, to make designs as simple as possible for production in high volumes. This paradigm is now changed by AM and, as a result, so many new opportunities are opening up for ceramics. "As we have seen in metal AM, it takes some time to change this mindset. In our opinion, it is even more difficult in ceramics, because most parts are built by contract manufacturers. This increases the barriers to innovation, because a new way of thinking has to penetrate into two companies: the part manufacturer and the OEM,” explained Homa.

“On the other hand, we see that the benefits of AM are more pronounced in the ceramics field.

Prototypes have, in the past, been more difficult to access and, of course, machining is also much more

difficult. I think that it is also true to say that ceramic AM technology is much easier to implement than metal AM as the processes are cheaper and are much closer to the established workflows. Ceramic AM machines replace only one step in the manufacturing chain, with everything else – debinding and sintering – being the same, with no additional equipment usually needed,” he added.

“What could be seen as a double challenge – persuading designers to both accept ceramics and also embrace AM processing – can also be seen as a double opportunity. We have the ceramic industry, which is looking for more design freedom in manufacturing, and the wider AM industry, which is often looking for better material properties, such as higher temperature or abrasion resistance.”

Kriese also believes that these challenges are starting to be addressed and that interest around ceramics is now being driven, in

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Fig. 6 A ceramic AM dosage device for an industrial application. The length of the part is 27 mm, with the diameter of the hole being 0.8 mm. As can be seen, a high surface quality can be achieved without any additional machining (Courtesy Bosch Advanced Ceramics) part, by the ever-greater performance requirements that are today being placed on components. “The demands placed on parts for nextgeneration applications in all sectors are increasing. In the electronics sector, for example, parts are getting far smaller whilst performance requirements are becoming much more advanced. Standard materials such as polymers are no longer sufficient and, therefore, in many cases, advanced ceramic products can be considered as an alternative.

Technical ceramics are unique materials with outstanding properties.

Great progress has been made in recent years in the development of ceramic materials and corresponding manufacturing technologies."

Commenting on whether there is ever any hesitation from customers when ceramic AM is proposed for an application rather than CIM, Kriese explained, “Actually, our experience is the other way around. Our customers

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are excited when we describe the possibilities of ceramic AM technology by showing real components.

The possibility to functionally optimise their products excites the developers.”

Design considerations for ceramic AM technology In those instances where a part could be produced by both CIM and ceramic AM, economic factors will have the biggest influence on process selection. The cost of tooling for CIM, the number of parts needed per year and the speed at which the parts are needed all influence process viability. AM starts coming into its own for parts that are designed to take advantage of the process’s more advanced shaping capabilities, free from the restraints of mouldability.

“One of the big challenges is to achieve an understanding from the

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customers and engineers on how capable AM technology is and what is possible. We want to use all of the AM benefits for our customers and their projects. Customers who are familiar with CIM are open to ceramic AM. The strong growth in this technology will, however, come once it is competitive with conventional technologies.

In combination with an increased functional design thinking, it will be the right technology for completely new applications in the near future.

Right now, the competitiveness of this technology is not yet a given for all applications. In particular, improvements in process speed and material costs are still needed."

With conventional ceramic forming processes such as milling, pressing and injection moulding, companies are often limited to designing parts that can be produced, instead of the parts they want to produce. The design freedom offered by ceramic AM is, in this area, simply unparalleled, allowing designers to focus more on functionality when coming up with entirely new concepts.

"Using AM, it is possible to create unique geometries, impossible using traditional methods, and this greatly expands the range of possible applications for businesses in all fields.

As such, Lithoz’s technology can be seen as an enabling technology for customers, allowing them to keep pace with even their most innovative ideas,” stated Homa.

When it comes to sinter-based Additive Manufacturing technologies, whether for metals or ceramics, the limiting factor when it comes to design freedom is rarely the shaping process for the 'green' or unsintered part, but, rather, the thermal processing steps to remove binders and sinter the parts to full density.

Homa explained, “It is perfectly right to say that it is very easy to build up a green part. Hence, we have also a lot of competition there. But the industry needs, in the end, a final sintered part and then the competition is much smaller. It is all about quality and delivering flawless sintered parts.”

“All ceramic AM technologies with a high binder content have a limitation

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in wall thickness, as we know from CIM. This wall thickness restriction can vary from material to material, but also from part to part. There is no general rule for this, but usually 10 mm wall thickness is the limit. The debinding of very large parts poses challenges to all SLA technologies.

Sometimes, this can be overcome by hollowing the parts and reducing the overall amount of material. This is also beneficial in reducing material costs, as well as having lighter parts.

Depending on the application, the volume of material may be necessary and, in these cases, companies should at the moment look beyond SLA technologies to achieve the parts they have in mind. We are, however, working on new technologies, which will overcome this issue,” he explained.

"Of course, there are some design limitations with regards to AM and also to the properties of ceramics," stated Kriese. "But this is also the case for other materials and production technologies. Even for the latest metal forming processes, it took many years to establish manufacturing readiness. Technical ceramics are now successfully following this path. We support our customers on this journey by consulting with them with individual engineering support.

AM is an exciting opportunity to convince them about how capable the technology, and ceramics in general, are.”

Materials for ceramic AM Commenting on the current status of material choices for ceramic AM, and what additional materials options customers could expect in the future, Homa told PIM International, “We are adapting the technology to the powder and not vice versa – hence, we can work with any given sinterable powder. Our material portfolio has expanded throughout the years and currently we have more than fifteen materials available for our CeraFab machines. These include technical ceramics used for industrial applications, biocompatible ceramics for

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Bosch Advanced Ceramics and Lithoz

Fig. 7 Complex ceramic matrix structures after a build (Courtesy Bosch Advanced Ceramics)

the medical and dental industry, and functional ceramics such as piezoceramics and high-dielectric ceramics for electronic applications.

Many companies in the ceramics industry also have proprietary materials, which are already established in their conventional manufacturing processes. To allow customers to use their own powders, we also work to develop slurries based on their unique formulations. This has allowed them to further expand their application portfolio. We have already established a quick and easy process to support this demand from the ceramic industry.” Homa added that Lithoz is constantly working on developing new materials – some of these, such as carbides, will require totally new technologies that the company is planning to make available for customers in the near future.

In a final comment on materials, he stated, “Many in the industry will also be interested in our latest

developments in multi-material printing. We can now combine different ceramics, as well as metals and ceramics. This opens even more opportunities for the industry. The process is working much better than we ever expected and we are overwhelmed by the interest in multimaterial printing.”

A focus on quality and Industry 4.0 The level of process stability that can be achieved by CIM over large production runs is extremely high, something that has been achieved over many decades of R&D and process innovation. The standards achieved here set the bar for Bosch Advanced Ceramics’ commercialisation of ceramic AM. “At Bosch Advanced Ceramics, there are high quality standards that must be met," explained Kriese. "There are clear

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Fig. 8 Multi-material AM gear combining alumina and zirconia-toughened alumina. Part produced on Lithoz's CeraFab Multi 2M30 (Courtesy Lithoz)

Fig. 9 In addition to extensive process monitoring capabilities, users of Lithoz's machines can access tools and features to monitor builds in real-time and remotely access machines (Courtesy Lithoz)

specifications on how machine and process capabilities must be evaluated and implemented. These standards do not differ for the two technologies. Across all ceramic processing technologies, with our Industry 4.0 capabilities, we can monitor every process step around the clock. In the event of a malfunction, we can detect it and respond immediately. The quality management system is flexible and can also be adapted to ceramic AM.”

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Homa commented, “Mass production, in sectors such as automotive, aerospace and healthcare, requires a high degree of process certainty and stability. Maintaining high quality levels for the materials and the machine is crucial to our customers. We understand that to have reliable parts requires setting in place robust QA processes, so optimising machines, materials and processes is an area of particular importance to us.”

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“One of the most important factors for Bosch Advanced Ceramics was to prove ‘machine capability’, or maschinenfähigkeit. As far as we are aware, we are the only ceramic AM machine provider which has achieved such a machine capability. This means that the LCM technology is approved for use in mass production. To be able to deliver a technology which is capable of mass production, machine, material and process need to be perfect. We therefore pride ourselves in not only being the market leader, but, much more importantly, the quality leader. It is this that enables Bosch Advanced Ceramics to provide the necessary quality for their customers.”

So, even after the benefit of decades of innovation and experience, can ceramic AM actually out-perform CIM when it comes to part quality?

Commenting on how Lithoz’s ceramic AM technology compares to CIM, in terms of production readiness, part quality and reproducibility, Homa stated, “We see that, for some special parts, AM can actually meet tighter tolerances than CIM. As there is no powder-binder separation from the high shear forces seen in CIM, part quality can be even more consistent.

If ceramic AM was seen at the very beginning as a way to quickly prototype and have access to small amounts of parts, today it has moved beyond prototyping and it is now closing the gap to true high-volume production.”

When it comes to process monitoring, it is widely known that metal AM processes such as Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) production that can generate vast quantities of data from build monitoring systems.

Similar data are available from Lithoz’s ceramic AM technology, and this offers a range of opportunities. Dr Johannes Benedikt, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Lithoz, explained, “Data are the new oil of our digital economy. Our machines are based on a database-driven software platform and customers can take advantage of their large volume of production data with our software. The software promotes complete traceability, intelligent analysis of production-related

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Bosch Advanced Ceramics and Lithoz

Fig. 10 Lithoz's ‘cascade’ approach allows producers to combine up to four production units, resulting in a scalable, flexible, high-volume production solution (Courtesy Lithoz)

data and greater efficiency in manufacturing for an Industry 4.0-ready Additive Manufacturing process.”

“On top of this, we have also released a set of tools and features to monitor a build in real-time and remotely access machines, giving our customers the comfort to work on the machines directly from their workplace desktop, home office or, even, on the move. By combining realtime analysis during printing with a software to fully document the manufacturing process, we are playing our part in supporting our clients in pushing ceramic 3D printing towards full industrialisation,” he explained.

Scaling production for higher volume applications Lithoz’s existing machines and materials are constantly being evolved and improved to adapt to its customers’ needs. In many cases, the current need is to upscale

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production capacity. “We know that machine throughput is a key factor for companies that are planning to upscale their production capability.

Compared to laser-based AM systems for ceramics, our ceramic AM technology offers a superior manufacturing throughput as well as a higher degree of reliability. In terms of productivity, the time-per-layer of our process is the fastest in the industry.

Laser-based systems, on the other hand, are limited because exposure time increases with increasing crosssections. Optimising our machines for even more productivity allows our customers to be competitive in the AM landscape,” stated Homa.

Bosch Advanced Ceramics' ambition is to expand the series production of components made by ceramic AM by always using the most suitable technology. Homa is confident that ceramic AM will quickly move past production volumes ‘in the thousands’ to much higher numbers. “We are just at the tip of the iceberg – there is so

much more that isn’t public knowledge. We not only see mass production of many thousands of parts, but also mass customisation of even higher numbers. We clearly see that these numbers, as well the range of applications, will rise dramatically in the future. As a result, we have a clear strategy for achieving series production of ceramic AM parts. Central to this strategy is our CeraFab System family, which has been designed for easy scalability.

It is the modularity of the system which makes it easy for customers to increase their production capability.

This is thanks to our ‘cascade’ approach, which allows users to combine up to four production units, resulting in a scalable, flexible, highvolume production solution.”

Homa explained that Lithoz’s cascade strategy is the direct result of industry experience. “We have a clear strategy for enabling customers' series production.

Central to this strategy is the

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Fig. 11 The Lithoz Innovation Lab at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria (Courtesy Lithoz)

CeraFab System family with its flexible cascade approach. We have seen bigger build platforms play out in the metal AM segment, where companies undertaking series production are largely working with small-build platform systems. In short, bigger machines make sense for large-scale parts, but not necessarily for series production.”

Staying focused on a journey that is changing manufacturing forever I first met Johannes Homa and Johannes Benedikt at Ceramitec 2012 in Munich. We both had the smallest booths at the world’s leading technical ceramics exhibition, and I think it is fair to say that at the time we felt like small fish in a very big pond.

However, I very clearly remember their total enthusiasm and wholehearted commitment to what they were doing. Those who know them will know that this spirit remains

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strong to this day. Commenting on the journey that followed our first meeting, Homa stated, “2012 was our very first Ceramitec. We had a very small leftover booth space that we decorated with Ikea furniture – actually, we had the whole booth in our car! It is so difficult to absorb what has happened since then. We have

already in ‘real’ manufacturing use.

We have now a subsidiary in the US and will open up a new facility in Vienna soon, because we are growing so fast. I guess we will have a hundred employees by the end of this year.”

“We have changed from the boys who had a dream to be the world market leader in ceramic AM. Yes,

“We understand that many customers are not seeking to increase production through bigger build platforms. We have seen it play out in the metal AM segment, where companies undertaking series production are largely working with small build platform systems.” achieved much more than I would have expected. Beyond the marketing veil, we are very clearly the technology leaders and our technology is really

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we have been the smallest fish in the pond and now we are a respected member of the community. There is much more which I would like to

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Bosch Advanced Ceramics and Lithoz

tell you, but, unfortunately, this is currently confidential. There is much more to come. I don’t know what the biggest milestone was, but I have seen that new market players can change a whole industry.”

The future for ceramic AM Lithoz’s collaboration with Bosch Advanced Ceramics since 2014 has been a valuable two-way exchange of ideas and experience. For what was, at the start, a small technology startup, working with such a major industrial manufacturer not only helped with machine development, but also aided Lithoz’s understanding of customers’ unique requirements and challenges.

Homa explained, “For us, it has been hugely valuable to work with such a major industrial producer in the ceramics field. We have tried to learn as much as possible and have adapted our processes, where possible, in order to meet specific needs. We always have an open ear towards our customers to understand their needs and wishes. This helps us to be the leader in this field and to develop the right features for this technology. The discussions over the years with Bosch Advanced Ceramics have taught us a lot about the needs of the industry and directly supported our new machine generation, the CeraFab System.”

Explaining his vision for the future of ceramic AM and the potential for medium- to high-volume production, Kriese stated, “We are looking forward to bigger building platforms with the same, or even more detailed, resolution on the AM parts.

Our customers will benefit from more flexibility regarding design variants and increasing quantities.

This will lead to a change from

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Fig. 12 Lithoz's Johannes Homa and Johannes Benedikt (Courtesy Lithoz)

conventional production technologies towards AM." "With a growing understanding of the benefits of AM, there will be even more highly complex geometries focusing on pure functional aspects that are only possible with AM. We are already working on such projects with customers. For these reasons, we expect a huge growth in this field within the next few years. When developers create new products purely based on functional aspects and the economics for high-volume manufacturing are achieved, AM will achieve its full potential. As of today, for smaller and medium quantities, AM is already a very useful addition to our technology portfolio.”

Contacts Oliver Kriese Founder and CSO, CMO Bosch Advanced Ceramics Oliver.Kriese@de.bosch.com www.bosch-advanced-ceramics.com Johannes Homa CEO Lithoz GmbH jhoma@lithoz.com www.lithoz.com

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Profile: Demcon MIM

High precision, flexibility and intensive customer support: How Demcon MIM is planning ahead for long-term growth Since the early days of Powder Injection Moulding in Europe, the Netherlands has been home to a highly capable MIM and CIM industry, including a number of companies which have been featured in previous issues of PIM International. In this article, Dr Georg Schlieper reports on a recent visit to Demcon Metal Injection Moulding, a company that is enjoying success in a diverse range of markets and has an ambitious strategy for efficiency-driven long term growth.

Founded in 1993 in Enschede, a medium-sized city in Twente in the province of Overijssel in the eastern part of the Netherlands, Demcon began life as an engineering firm focused on developments in the field of mechatronics. From these beginnings, it quickly grew to become a specialist in the development and manufacture of a range of technologically advanced systems and products. Today, the Demcon Group employs around 750 people. Its headquarters, and the registered offices of several subsidiaries, are located in Enschede. Further locations are in Best, Delft and Groningen (the Netherlands), Münster (Germany), Tokyo (Japan), and Singapore.

In 2004, Demcon acquired a startup Metal Injection Moulding company and relocated it to Oldenzaal, not far from Enschede. Later, this MIM business was integrated into the Demcon Group under the name Demcon Metal Injection Moulding.

Since 2019, Demcon MIM has been housed in the newly built Demcon Technology Center (Fig. 1).

This building was designed to fulfil the most advanced sustainability

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requirements according to the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) guidelines, both during construction and in everyday use.

BREEAM covers everything from the building materials used to waste processing and energy performance.

In Demcon’s Technology Center, sustainability has been taken into

account visibly and invisibly in a multitude of ways. The Technology Center causes almost no CO2 emissions and the building has no connection to the public gas network.

In addition, electricity is generated, to a large extent, by solar panels installed on the roof; 915 in total. The premises are, of course, designed with ample room for the further

Fig. 1 The newly-erected Demcon Technology Center in Enschede

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Profile: Demcon MIM

growth of MIM production. Demcon MIM also takes steps to capture, analyse and minimise the impact of its production on the environment, starting with the building and extending to all steps of the manufacturing processes.

Demcon’s facilities are deliberately placed close to technical universities, with the intention of attracting the young technical professionals who are needed to support the company’s focus on technically challenging and complex activities. The University of Twente in Enschede, just a stone's throw away from Demcon, offers Englishlanguage bachelor's and master's programmes with a technical and social science orientation. These courses are geared to the needs of local industry; they not only impart expertise, but also promote the personal development of students.

The other companies in the Demcon Group are a valuable source of expert knowledge on subjects ranging from software engineering to the assembly of small and large series high-tech equipment. These collective resources allowed Demcon to develop and manufacture in series respirator equipment in record time following the appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A technology transfer deal as a catalyst for further growth In 2009, a technology transfer agreement was reached between Demcon MIM and a large US medical technology company. This company had been searching worldwide for a manufacturer of MIM parts that could meet its requirements and had the appropriate certification for the production of medical components.

Its primary goal was the installation of its own MIM production line in the US, alongside existing machining operations. Demcon, which held ISO 13485, a standard for medical applications, was an ideal partner.

After the successful testing of prototype products for the US

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medical component maker, it was finally agreed with Demcon that the two companies would set up a production line together for MIM medical parts. When the line had been completed by Demcon MIM, it was shipped to the customer in the US. After the successful completion of this project, Demcon’s management was left even more convinced that its MIM technology was particularly well-suited for the most technically demanding products.

MIM technology at Demcon today Demcon MIM's workforce currently consists of just fifteen employees, all of whom are involved directly in production and related activities such as quality assurance and maintenance. Management and support, human resources and other indirect roles are controlled by the parent company, enabling Demcon MIM to keep its staffing requirements very lean and run successfully with a small team. Rob Egberink, Demcon MIM’s Managing Director, explained that he is convinced that the success of Demcon MIM is due to the great commitment and dedication of his team.

sintering of various materials in order to understand the company’s MIM process in detail and advance its efficiency and capabilities. The company’s design engineers have a focus on design guidelines for components and optimising injection moulds specifically for MIM technology, which, it was stated, helps to further raise its MIM production levels.

The MIM technology used at Demcon MIM is an entirely proprietary development. From the beginning, the company has relied on water-soluble binder systems and it was one of the first MIM manufacturers to use this technology.

The water-soluble polymer used

by Demcon MIM is non-toxic and biodegradable, and therefore harmless to the environment. It does not need to be stressed here that water as a solvent has many advantages over organic solvents – notably that it is more cost-effective and more environmentally friendly.

Demcon MIM's binder system is characterised by an extremely high degree of powder loading, which is reflected in a very low shrinkage in comparison to other MIM feedstocks.

While POM feedstocks exhibit a shrinkage of around 18%, Demcon's shrinkage is only about 13%. The flow behaviour, multiple times better than

“Demcon MIM's binder system is characterised by an extremely high degree of powder loading, which is reflected in a very low shrinkage in comparison to other MIM feedstocks.

While POM feedstocks exhibit a shrinkage of around 18%, Demcon's shrinkage is only about 13%.”

Since 2016, Dr Erik Dietrich, a Mechatronic System Engineer at Demcon, has been actively involved in MIM process research and development. During his training, he carried out fundamental research on the injection moulding, debinding and

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that of POM feedstocks, is extremely well-suited for micro-MIM and parts with long flow paths and thin walls.

The green strength of Demcon MIM’s feedstock is somewhat lower than that of POM feedstocks, but satisfactory in practice.

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Profile: Demcon MIM

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Fig. 2 Two generations of Arburg injection moulding machines on Demcon MIM’s shop floor

Experimental parts with a wall thickness of 30 mm have been successfully manufactured in order to determine the maximum achievable wall thickness; however, such large wall thicknesses are undesirable because they require very long debinding times.

The company currently produces MIM parts primarily in 17-4PH, 316L and 431 stainless steels. 440 C and 42CrMo4 heat treatable steels are also used, but for a limited number of applications. Dietrich emphasised Demcon MIM's flexibility in terms of materials, stating that with its proprietary water-soluble binder formulation, virtually all materials available in MIM-grade powder form are processable by the company. The range of materials is currently being expanded step by step and, among other things, titanium is a future goal.

Demcon MIM outsources its feedstock preparation to a chemical company that has the necessary laboratory equipment to fully monitor quality from batch to batch. The

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manufacture of injection moulds is also outsourced to specialist companies. Wherever possible, standard mould parts are used, which significantly shortens delivery times and reduces costs. Injection moulds with up to six cavities are currently in use, with repairs and maintenance carried out in-house.

Binder removal is carried out in two stages. After the first debinding stage in water, which can last up to three days, thermal debinding follows at temperatures of around 500°C. This two-stage debinding process is, today, rather unique in the MIM industry; most manufacturers of MIM parts use only one debinding process and burn out the backbone binder in the sintering furnace.

The advantage of the two-step debinding process is that the sintering furnace is not contaminated with the vapours of the backbone binder that emerge from the parts during the heating-up phase. This, states the company, allows the atmosphere in the sintering furnace to be controlled much more precisely, as well as

increasing the service life of furnace components. After thermal debinding, the debound parts have sufficient strength for transportation to the sintering furnace.

As part of the relocation of its machines and systems from Oldenzaal to Enschede, Demcon MIM’s older machines were overhauled, as well as investments being made in new machines. In particular, after a careful analysis of the temperature distribution and gas flows in its sintering furnaces, the hot zones of the furnaces were renewed and optimised in-house using the mechanical engineering and thermal analysis expertise of the Demcon Group. In addition, the furnaces have been equipped with the latest control interfaces and software. Today, the optimum conditions for efficient production are in place and as a result, capacity has been significantly increased.

Demcon MIM now operates nine injection moulding machines from Arburg GmbH & Co KG at its facility (Fig. 2), some of which are equipped

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Fig. 3 Thermal debinding oven (left) and sintering furnaces (right)

with pick-and-place robots. In addition to the systems for initial debinding in water and an oven for the thermal removal of residual binders, two large batch sintering furnaces from Elnik Systems are installed (Fig. 3). While the water debinding plant is Demcon's own design, thermal debinding takes place in a batch furnace built

removal of burrs, sprues and ejector marks, still require a degree of manual work, though the use of robots is increasingly automating these tasks.

In quality assurance processes, critical dimensions are regularly checked, typically with the help of callipers. This can either involve the

“As is common in the MIM industry, many processing steps such as quality control for green parts, the removal of burrs, sprues and ejector marks, still require a degree of manual work, however the use of robots is increasingly automating these tasks.”

by Cremer Thermoprozessanlagen GmbH according to specifications provided by Demcon MIM. As is common in the MIM industry, many processing steps, such as quality control for green parts, the

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testing of selected samples or up to 100% of the parts. Some inspection processes are outsourced to a nearby workshop for the disabled, offering valuable employment to the local community.

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The Demcon Group’s quality management system is both ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified.

Dietrich told PIM International, "ISO 13485 explicitly refers to the manufacture of medical products for patient work and enables certified companies to manufacture and distribute such products. This international standard is in some respects stricter than ISO 9001.

Not many MIM manufacturers are ISO 13485 certified. This gives us a strong position in the lucrative market for medical technology."

As luck would have it, the building in which Demcon MIM is housed is also home to a Mitutoyo Competence Center. Here, all types of precision measuring technologies are available and can be used as needed by Demcon MIM to inspect tools or components. Measurelink, a statistical software package, is used to record measurements and dimensional changes in products from batch to batch. Over time, this gives an accurate picture of the stability of the company’s manufacturing processes.

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Profile: Demcon MIM

Product development times Demcon MIM places great importance on being able to react quickly and flexibly to customer requests. In order to convince new customers of the high quality of MIM products, prototypes are moulded and further processed in quickly available aluminium tool inserts - if required. Demcon once managed to deliver moulded prototypes in three weeks. Parts made from series tools take at least six weeks. Of this time, debinding and sintering takes only a few days.

As a rule, however, the series production of a new part requires a longer lead time. First, a defined sequence of pre-production procedures is executed. If the preparatory work has been satisfactorily carried out, an injection mould is made and pre-production parts are manufactured. The results of this can highlight if fine-tuning is still necessary, which may require small iterative modifications to the tool. It often takes around sixteen weeks for the series tool to be released and for series production to begin.

Applications insight About half of the MIM parts produced

by Demcon MIM are ready for assembly after sintering, with the other half requiring one or more postprocessing steps such as coining, heat treatment, surface treatment, machining and more. Most of these secondary operations are today outsourced to third-parties. Over the last three years, more than ninety new products have been launched. Some of the products are sold to subsidiaries of Demcon Holding, but most go to external customers.

Since 2016, Demcon MIM has seen a rapid upswing in demand. While its output in 2017 was 4,000 kg of MIM products, production volumes rose to 30,000 kg by 2019. The year 2020, of course, saw setbacks due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but expectations for 2021 are again positive, with a number of new projects soon entering series production.

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Fig. 4 Completed handcuffs (top) and selected MIM components (bottom)

Lightweight handcuffs Commenting on the production of lightweight metal injection moulded handcuffs (Fig. 4), Egberink stated, "The first design of the MIM parts was not sufficiently strong and had to be reinforced. The FEM specialists of the Demcon Group provided support in redesigning the parts, and this successful redesign convinced the

customer to not only give the MIM parts’ production to Demcon MIM, but also the assembly of the entire handcuff." Each handcuff contains ten MIM components; even the keys are made by MIM (Fig. 5). The MIM-produced handcuff is 30% lighter than alternative handcuffs in the field.

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Automotive damping disc The damping disc for Bosch Automotive shown in Fig. 6 is the oldest automotive part produced by Demcon MIM; more than 10 million have been delivered. The part is 18.5 mm in diameter and weighs 2.2 g. It is made of 316L stainless steel with a minimum wall thickness of 0.3 mm and is surface hardened by Kolsterising. This application, states Demcon, shows that MIM is capable of high-volume production with a high degree of automation.

Forceps for microinvasive surgery Fig. 7 shows a medical forceps for microinvasive surgery. This is the tip of a sensitive surgical tool which can transmit the beating of blood in very small veins to the hands of the operating surgeon when introduced into a patient’s body. The instrument, which is composed of three MIM parts, was developed by a consortium with the participation of Demcon. It has a diameter of 6 mm and a minimum wall thickness of 0.3 mm. The fluted surface of the jaws provides optimum grip. The MIM parts are made of 316L stainless steel and produced to extremely tight tolerances. As with many surgical instruments, it is used only once during surgery and then disposed of.

Fig. 5 Handcuff keys made by Demcon MIM

Orthopaedic device parts Fig. 8 shows another medical application - a part from a disposable orthopaedic device used for the external fixation of bone fractures.

The part is made of 316L stainless steel, weighs 21 g and is 20 mm long.

Its production by MIM is much more cost effective than by machining and MIM delivers a particularly high surface quality.

Fig. 6 Damping disc for Bosch Automotive

Fig. 7 Medical forceps for microinvasive surgery, composed of three MIM parts

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Lock component The lock industry is an important consumer of MIM parts, since highend security locks require precision components of high strength and complex geometry. Fig. 9 shows a 22 g lock component in, from left to right, the green state (as moulded), the brown state (after debinding), as

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Profile: Demcon MIM

Fig. 8 Fixation part of an orthopaedic device

sintered and finished. The material is 42CrMo4 and after sintering, a thread is cut, the part is hardened, and anti-friction coating is applied.

Bicycle gearbox parts Modern bicycles are equipped with a gearbox that contains many highly-loaded, intricately-shaped components in extremely small spaces. MIM technology is, in many cases, the most appropriate method to manufacture these parts. Especially in the Benelux states (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), with their high share of bicycles in road traffic, the market for bicycles plays a major role in the economy. It is no wonder, therefore, that Demcon MIM is active in this market.

Some examples of bicycle gearbox components are shown in Figs. 10–12. All parts are made from 17-4PH steel. The internal gear ring in Fig. 10 is 69 mm in diameter and weighs 50 g. Several injection gates and a feedstock with extremely good flowability are necessary in order to produce the toothed section of this part without secondary machining work.

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Fig. 9 From left to right: a MIM lock component in the green, brown, sintered and finished states

Fig. 10 MIM gear with internal teeth for a bicycle gearbox, in the green (right) and finished (left) state

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Fig. 11 Splined parts used in a bicycle gearbox, in the green (left) and finished (right) state

The splined part shown in Fig. 11 is 18 mm in diameter with a weight of 12 g. The inner diameter tolerance of 0.02 mm requires a secondary operation: the parts are first hardened throughout to increase strength and hardness, while maintaining ductility, and subsequently kolsterised, a surface treatment that enhances surface hardness and wear resistance while maintaining corrosion resistance.

Another part produced for bicycle gearboxes is the sun gear shown in Fig. 12. The parts are precipitation heat treated by H1025 and kolsterised. The inner diameter tolerance of 23+/-0.006 mm requires a secondary operation, but the toothing on the outside is as moulded.

Plans for the future Egberink told PIM International of his plans for the future. “In the coming years, Demcon MIM strives to extend its role as an expert partner for customers looking for a solution to a technical problem, rather than being

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just a supplier for MIM parts,” he explained. “By utilising our knowledge about materials, backed up by the expertise in design and FEM analysis of the Demcon Group, we can support our customers in the fields of hightech applications, from an early stage in design, all the way to industrialisation and production. At the same time, we aim to expand our share in the production of commodity industrial

Demcon MIM plans to expand its in-house equipment for the secondary processing of MIM parts, especially for machining.

The company’s capabilities for assembling components are also to be enhanced.

In sales, new markets are being looked at that are not yet served.

The sales organisation of the Demcon Group is to be used more

“Demcon MIM plans to expand its in-house equipment for the secondary processing of MIM parts, especially for machining. The company’s capabilities for assembling components are also to be enhanced.” parts, where quantities are higher. In this field, we will keep our competitive edge by assuring constant quality to a high degree, through automation, and a continuous effort to reduce our environmental impact.”

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than in the past by Demcon MIM to push its technologies to these new markets and customers. Dietrich stressed his role in new applications development, stating, “My challenge is to fully understand these markets

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Profile: Demcon MIM

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and their requirements, so that the final products will perform in terms of both mechanical and chemical properties.”

Outstanding product precision and intensive customer support are strong points of Demcon MIM. As a result, the company sees itself as well equipped for the future. If design engineers are involved early in the development of new products that require MIM parts, the advantages of MIM technology can be best exploited; the goal is to use the complex design capabilities of MIM technology to integrate as many functions as possible into a single component. This saves production and assembly costs. Demcon MIM, with the support of versatile designers from the Demcon Group, can develop innovative solutions that are often of great benefit to the customer.

The Demcon Group is a privatelyowned company whose owners are working towards long-term success. This allows the workforce to focus on longer-term projects without the pressure of immediate success and with the support of all business units. This business concept has been very successful for the group in the past and will certainly continue to be so in the future.

Fig. 12 Sun gear of a planetary gearbox for bicycles

Contact

Author

Rob Egberink Demcon MIM Institutenweg 50 NL-7521 PK Enschede The Netherlands

Dr Georg Schlieper Harscheidweg 89 D-45149 Essen Germany

www.demcon.com rob.egberink@demcon.com

Keep up to date with the latest PM industry news

georg.schlieper@hotmail.de

POWDER METALLURGY REVIEW

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ExOne and the story of Binder Jetting

Playing the long game: The story of Binder Jetting, and ExOne's view on a rapidly evolving technology landscape Being ahead of one's time can be both a blessing and a challenge. The story of The ExOne Company, the pioneer of metal Binder Jetting, well illustrates this. Now, as interest in the technology surges, the company finds itself competing with a host of well-funded and ambitious rivals. In this article, ExOne's Sarah Webster takes a look back at the company's journey – one that, despite being marred by tragedy, defined a path that now puts it in a strong position to compete in a rapidly evolving technology landscape.

An unprecedented number of production Binder Jetting (BJT) machines are slated to come to market in 2021, signalling a critical turning point in a manufacturing technology long seen as niche but now, increasingly, viewed as necessary. Those keeping score will know that new systems are now on the way from big brands such as HP and GE, as well as unicorn start-up Desktop Metal, with more announcements expected. At the same time, the Binder Jetting pioneer and market leader, ExOne, is launching two new production systems – the X1 160Pro™ and InnoventPro™ – rounding out a full family of options for manufacturers in Metal Injection Moulding and beyond.

The renewed life around this technology, now approaching its 30th year, is fuelled by a few pulses that seem to grow stronger every day. The first is a growing belief within the industry that Binder Jetting is the method of metal Additive Manufacturing most likely to, finally, take Additive Manufacturing to high-volume production.

The second is that Additive Manu-

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facturing in production volumes is essential to delivering an impactful number of sustainable products.

In other words, you can additively manufacture lightweight, consolidated metal parts in low volumes at high prices today, but, if you want to deliver truly meaningful benefits to the world at large, you have to do it

in serious volumes and at low prices.

Binder Jetting is shaping up to be the best way to get there.

Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing has been very effective over the past decade in proving out the discrete benefits of metal Additive Manufacturing, but it is clear to

Fig. 1 ExOne's new X1 160Pro™ (second from left) is part of the company's modern family of metal binder jet machines that also includes the InnoventPro (left) and X1 25Pro (right) along with an X1D1 automated guided vehicle to move powder boxes between processes (far right)

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Fig. 2 ExOne's founder, Larry Rhoades

Fig. 3 The ProMetal RTS-300, the world’s first metal Binder Jetting machine

most users that there are serious limitations to scaling up PBF-LB production. The challenges of speed, cost and complexity are simply too high when it comes to delivering an affordable metal part by PBF-LB for, say, an automotive production line. This thinking has shifted the hopes for production metal Additive

quality assessment methods. SAE is leading the way with the publication of AMS7022. The intense buzz around Binder Jetting these days belies the years of R&D it took to get this technology to where it is today.

Led largely by ExOne, which operated with little competition in the metal binder jet space from 1995 to

“The challenges of speed, cost and complexity are simply too high when it comes to delivering an affordable metal part by PBF-LB for, say, an automotive production line.”

Manufacturing – especially critical to delivering lightweight and electrified vehicles – onto Binder Jetting, just as the field seems to be entering a new phase of maturity in its lifecycle.

So serious has this shift been that ASTM, ISO, MPIF, DNV GL and other standards-issuing bodies are moving as quickly as possible to develop global BJT design guidelines and

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2013, the development of this technology involved a global collaboration with public and private universities, government laboratories and a wide range of others in the Powder Metallurgy and sintering worlds. This is a technology that almost didn’t happen, with lots of people giving up on it along the way, saying it was too complex and would never work. On

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top of a complex milieu of physics, chemistry, powders, metallurgy, electronics, software and furnaces, one of the field’s early champions died along the way, nearly causing the effort to collapse.

A fast start, followed by a strategy shift The story of Binder Jetting’s commercial development begins in 1996, when the Pennsylvania, USAbased company Extrude Hone first licensed the patented technology from MIT. A manufacturing technology firm known for its pioneering abrasive flow machining, the company obtained an exclusive fieldof-use license specifically for metal development [1]. Other companies licensed Binder Jetting, too, albeit for other materials [2].

Extrude Hone founder Larry Rhoades (Fig. 2) was an innovative risk-taker who immediately spotted the opportunity for the technology.

Located just outside Pittsburgh, the company was not far from St. Marys, Pennsylvania, known as the ‘powdered metal capital of the world’

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because of the number of structural Powder Metallurgy component factories and metal powder producers in the area. So, ‘printing’ metal powder into green parts that needed to be sintered in a furnace didn’t seem a far-flung concept to him: the MIM industry had been doing something very close to that for years by then.

In 1995, in anticipation of finalising its license, Rhoades created a ProMetal division within Extrude Hone focused exclusively on metal AM. This became known for its creative skunkworks vibe - a ‘skunkworks project’ being a term to describe a project developed by a small, loosely-structured team of people researching and developing a product primarily for the sake of innovation.

Two years after acquiring the license, the company launched the ProMetal RTS-300 (Fig. 3), the world’s first metal Binder Jetting machine. RTS was short for ‘Rapid Tooling System.’

Heralded as the embodiment of MIT’s patent, it was quickly snapped up by Motorola.

Back then, however, the technology had serious limitations – specifically powder size. The machine could successfully build parts from powders with a D50 of about 60 µm, large enough to flow easily in the powder bed, but produced final parts so porous that they couldn’t sinter into highly-dense final pieces. This required the parts to be infiltrated with another metal material to achieve full density. These so-called ‘metal matrix’ materials, such as 316 or 420 stainless steel infiltrated with bronze, would become the focus of ExOne’s small R&D team for years. Containing about 40% infiltrated materials, these matrices have great properties for corrosion and wear resistance, and can be machined, welded and polished (Fig. 4). In fact, ExOne still produces hundreds of thousands of parts in these materials for certain customers and applications.

However, market demand for this material was very limited. If binder jet AM was going to hit the big time, ExOne was going to have to deliver highly-dense metals containing one single alloy, similar to the bar stock

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ExOne and the story of Binder Jetting

Fig. 4 An early infiltrated binder jet part, built in stainless steel and infiltrated with bronze. The part was produced for Ulterra for use in a a down-hole drilling application where high wear-resistance was needed

most machine shops CNC into parts every day. ExOne team members began codifying this desire with the catchphrase: ‘single alloy.’ Initially, everybody thought this would be easy. At first glance, the process seems so simple: It’s just printing glue on powder, after all, right? But the more they learned, the more challenges became apparent. Eventually, it was clear to the team that it would take years, if not a decade or more, to deliver single alloys with Binder Jetting.

An undeterred Rhoades began making plans to sell Extrude Hone to raise money, so that he could spin off the Additive Manufacturing division into a new company he saw as offering a world-changing technology.

In a National Academy of Engineering article, Rhoades wrote on the topic, saying Binder Jetting would eliminate the waste generated by machining, enable decentralised manufacturing and give engineers all-new design freedoms, reducing the limitations they deal with every day [3].

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work on single alloys, with a clear strategy: to successfully additively manufacture powders with eversmaller particle sizes until they could reach densities comparable to press and sinter PM (85–93%) or even MIM (96–98%) levels. “In those early days, most of us didn’t know that much about MIM,” explained Dan Brunermer, ExOne Technical Fellow and the developer of the original R2.

“We had a lot to learn.”

Tragedy challenges ExOne and Binder Jetting

Fig. 5 Rows of R2 machines in production at ExOne's facility outside Pittsburgh more than a decade ago

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Fig. 6 Chairman of the board of ExOne, S Kent Rockwell

Fig. 7 ExOne's CTO, Rick Lucas

Being a realistic businessman, Rhoades also diversified the binder jet business into Additive Manufacturing sand moulds and cores for metal casting. It was a smart decision – a marriage between new and old technologies. While the mould and core are additively manufactured, the metal is poured into the tool in much the same way it has been for centuries, simplifying the adoption of the technology. The sand business took off and Rhoades began funnelling profits from sand AM to cover the R&D costs to develop metal Binder Jetting.

In 2003, the company launched the R2, which remains one of the most successful metal Binder Jetting machines ever produced (Fig. 5).

Still in use for the production of both infiltrated and single-alloy metals, it started by additively manufacturing 60 µm powders, but is now used to process powders with a powder size distribution (PSD) of 90% -22 µm with modifications.

In 2005, Rhoades made his commitment to Binder Jetting official, selling Extrude Hone to Kennametal for $137 million and spinning off The ExOne Company. The team got to

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Two years later Rhoades died unexpectedly while scuba diving in Hawaii.

He was memorialised as an inventor and a true believer in Binder Jetting, who was willing to put his personal wealth behind the notion of changing the world. Rhoades’s death cast uncertainty and sadness over ExOne and the few employees who remained after Extrude Hone was sold. Nobody else was really working on metal Binder Jetting at the time and, with ExOne as the exclusive MIT licensee for metals, nobody else really could for commercial purposes. Rhoades had been the driving force of the business and many people weren’t sure any of it would survive without him.

Soon afterwards, however, ExOne was purchased by a company wholly owned by S Kent Rockwell (Fig. 6), who has led the company ever since as chairman of the board of directors. He also served as CEO from 2013–2016 and for an interim period from June 2018 to May 2019.

Rockwell brought a fresh eye, new talent and a long-term strategy to get to single alloy metals.

A new working plan In the summer of 2012, Rockwell recruited a new Chief Technology Officer to ExOne to chart a new course to single alloys. Rick Lucas (Fig. 7) had previously served as Director of Operations at Touchstone Research Laboratory, a private R&D lab focused on materials development

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Metal 3D Printing | 20+ Years of Development

From large particles to infiltrated materials to dense, single-alloy, ultra-fine powders Large Particle Powders 1996 –  Perfected 3D process with larger particles that flow more easily for printing  About 60 μm in size  To achieve full density with larger powders, infiltration with another material was necessary, typically bronze or copper

Finer Particle Powders

MIM Powders

2005 –  Began working with finer powders, about 30 μm  Began development of various binders with finer powders —different binder infiltration properties and inkjet deposition strategies  Continued perfecting printing recipes for binders, materials and print speed variables

2013 – Began 3D printing MIM powders during project with large aerospace customer  MIM powders: 30 to 9 μm in size  Discovered MIM printed well on our older R2 model first launched in 2003  Developed and launched Innovent 3D printer in 2016 specifically for MIM powders 

Multiple MIM Powders 2016 - Present  Today offer more than 20 total qualified materials:  Ten single-alloy metals  Six ceramics  Five composites  Plus, 24+ R&D approved materials

Fig. 8 The progress of materials development at ExOne over a period of more than twenty years, from large particles to to dense, single alloy ultrafine powders

© 2020 The ExOne Company infiltrated materials

for innovative goods and services.

He had successfully launched more than twenty advanced material products, including four R&D 100 award winners, and he brought a fresh perspective to ExOne. Lucas recalls being greeted by a very specific mindset at ExOne: ‘We’re a machine tool company.’ In his mind, though, if ExOne’s machine tools couldn’t produce the precise materials and material properties that customers wanted, it had a

So, Lucas began repositioning R&D to focus on materials first, developing new years-long roadmaps focused on delivering a cascade of industrystandard materials that met Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) standards. It started with stainless steels, which were known to work easily with binders in MIM, and ended with highly-challenging materials such as aluminium, which has never been successfully metal injection moulded.

“We went from a company that built machines that didn't care much about final materials, to really a company that was building machines, driven by the materials that the customers wanted.” real materials challenge. While the company had a lot of expertise around the machine – specifically printheads, electronics, physics and mechanical designs – it didn’t have as much understanding around the fundamental metal materials that customers wanted to additively manufacture and how to deliver them.

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“What that did was it fundamentally changed our strategy,” Lucas recalled.

“We went from a company that built machines that didn't care much about final materials, to really a company that was building machines, driven by the materials that the customers wanted.” Fig. 8 shows the progress of materials development at ExOne over a period of more than twenty years.

2

How low can you go?

By the time Lucas arrived, ExOne had progressed from 60 µm powders down to 30 µm, but it was clear ExOne would have to go a lot smaller to additively manufacture green parts that could be sintered to the highest densities. ExOne was going to have to additively manufacture industrystandard MIM powders below 10 µm.

Around the 2012–2013 timeframe, during a joint R&D project with a global aerospace company, ExOne began additively manufacturing its first ultra-fine MIM powders, producing parts with densities greater than 97% in the lab. These parts were built on the R2, proving that the machine itself wasn’t the key limitation, but, rather, the understanding of materials and how to control the machine parameters.

ExOne was quiet about this achievement. Knowing how to crack the code in a lab is different than delivering a commercially-reliable machine tool to repeat the process with high precision and deliver quality results.

Still, although ExOne made no announcements – it was also the year that ExOne had a highly successful IPO – people started talking. Word spread in certain aerospace, metal

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ExOne and the story of Binder Jetting

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POWDER

ULTRASONIC HOPPER

SPREADING ROLLER COMPACTING ROLLER

PRINT BED

Fig. 9 Top: a schematic of ExOne’s patented Triple Advanced Compaction Technology (ACT), a system for the precise dispensing, spreading and compacting of ultra-fine powders. Below: the system featured on an Innovent+ machine

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powder and Additive Manufacturing circles that ExOne could binder jet MIM powders without geometric limitations. If a little company in Pennsylvania could do it, others thought they could do so, too.

Several companies, such as GE, started working on binder jet systems that same year. By the end of 2013, Digital Metal, a subsidiary of the world’s leading manufacturer of metal powders, Sweden’s Höganäs AB, had introduced its own Binder Jetting technology following its acquisition of fcubic AB. Back at ExOne, however, speed was a serious concern for Binder Jetting these ultra-fine powders.

One of the features that makes Binder Jetting unique among Additive Manufacturing methods is its speed – the ability to build a whole layer quickly. Binder Jetting is actually so fast that it’s the reason ‘3D printing’ got its name; before the term spread to mean all forms of Additive Manufacturing, MIT researchers dubbed Binder Jetting 3D printing because the process is so similar to paper printing. So, while the R2 could certainly jet binder on each layer quickly, it couldn’t deposit and spread those ultra-fine powders quickly and precisely at the same time. “It would take like 189 hours; it was so not commercial, it didn’t matter how good the parts were,” Brunermer stated. “You had to run the recoater really slowly.”

Delivering a commercial machine that could quickly and accurately recoat these ultra-fine powders was a serious engineering challenge. These powders don’t flow easily like grains of sand; they clump together like baking flour, create dust clouds if you move them too fast and are difficult to spread evenly. This is part of the reason the MIM industry uses particles pre-bound in polymers and waxes.

Once ExOne was focused on this challenge, though, its materials understanding started to influence the design of the machines themselves.

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ExOne and the story of Binder Jetting

Fig. 10 This engine block, in 316L, shows clearly what Binder Jetting technology is now capable of manufacturing

Until this point, all metal Binder Jetting machines had featured a dispensing style in which powder would be pushed up or dosed vertically like a tube of lipstick, called a box feeder, and then dragged slowly across the powder bed. It worked fine for larger powders with high flowability, but not the ultra-fine particles sizes ExOne was now trying to process.

New sizes, new challenges There aren’t a lot of industries that deal with precision ultra-fine powder management, so, to guide their thinking about the process, the R&D team found themselves focused on one industry that did: pharmaceuticals. “That was the closest thing, because they had these really fine powders and they have to precisely dose those powders,” Lucas said. “Other than that, there really wasn't anybody doing these kinds of things with powders. That's where we

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started really digging in and started working on these mechanical systems and processes for handling these kinds of powders.”

The end result of this work is ExOne’s patented Triple ACT (Advanced Compaction Technology), a system for the precise dispensing, spreading and compacting of ultrafine powders (Fig. 9). It’s an essential element of ExOne’s production metal BJT machines today, ensuring that every starting layer of powder is about three particles, or 30 µm, high and consistent across the bed. To put that in lay terms, the diameter of a human hair is about 70 µm, while 10 µm is more on the scale of a red blood cell. The ExOne Triple ACT is a highly engineered, three-pronged approach using ultrasonics to dispense powder, followed by an innovative counter-rotating double roller system to spread and then compact the powders. The first roller has a design that lifts and spreads the powders, while the compacting roller features a unique smooth design.

Even after ExOne filed patents on this invention, however, it took the company several years to get the first high-density metal BJT machine — the Innovent — to market in 2015. The system was deliberately marketed to R&D professionals, whom ExOne viewed as critical partners to further materials development that needed to be done for each and every material. Every powder, ExOne had learned, required different parameters for dispensing, spreading and compacting, as well as different settings for binder droplet sizes and shapes, wetting times for seepage – not to mention curing and sintering times. In fact, there are about twenty key process variables that need to be controlled for every material, with an infinite number of possible combinations of parameters. Once complete, they could be packaged into a repeatable recipe, but developing them was time-consuming.

Beyond the recoater, ExOne’s choice of a specific piezoelectric printhead by Fujifilm, with the ability

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Fig. 11 ExOne CEO John Hartner

to recirculate binders constantly and control droplet shape and velocity, also provides additional and necessary parameter variables.

With the Innovent, ExOne began building a coalition of experts in certain materials and Binder Jetting dynamics to help build the knowledge and understanding around the process that would be required to further develop the commercial success of the technology. So many partners around the world took part in this effort that it’s difficult to name them all, but a large body of published research on ScienceDirect around Binder Jetting proves the effort was successful. In the end, this work enhanced (and continues to enhance) understanding of Binder Jetting, with scientists eager to contribute to a technology seen as having implications for sustainability.

In 2016, ExOne launched the Innovent+ and the new recoater system. The press release on this launch caught the eye of many in

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manufacturing: ‘ExOne Announces 3D Printing With Industry Standard Metal and Ceramic Powders of Less Than 10 Microns.’

The Triple ACT system now delivers part density variability across the build area of 0.3%, as well as post-sintering dimensional tolerances of 1–2.5% on a first build run.

Because Binder Jetting is currently an iterative process for optimisation, dimensional tolerances of less than 1% can be dialled in with two to three builds. What’s more, Triple ACT quickened the pace of material qualifications at ExOne.

A competitive new Binder Jetting industry is born After the launch of the Innovent, the field of Binder Jetting started heating up. In 2017, Digital Metal officially launched its DM P2500, Desktop Metal announced plans for its flagship Production System, and GE closed

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out the year by announcing it would produce its own binder jet machine, which an executive reported had been developed in just forty-seven days. In 2018, HP announced its Metal Jet Binder Jetting system.

Initially, this wave of new competition really put the fear in long-time insiders at ExOne. In 2017, the company booked $57 million in revenue and had just 277 full-time employees worldwide. Even though it was the market leader, it felt like an underdog. “For the longest time, we were up against nobody. Then there were four,” Brunermer explained.

“I was nervous,” Lucas recalled.

“I mean, you think about the longterm, lined up against somebody like a GE or an HP or even Desktop Metal, with all the money they had.

It's a little bit intimidating for a smaller company… We knew we had a head start, but could we keep our edge? Could we stay ahead? Quite frankly, we just kept fighting. I mean, we just kept working on the tech.”

About the same time, ExOne welcomed John Hartner, a seasoned Additive Manufacturing and technology leader, to the company as Chief Operating Officer (Fig. 11).

Hartner, CEO since May 2019, had found himself up against similar dynamics at other companies and had a hard-nosed approach: he focused on the facts and looked for ways that ExOne could move faster.

“There was a lot of good base technology and, even though there was fear, it wasn’t put in front of us with the facts,” he recalled. “I tried to encourage everybody to look at facts and how customers would see things. We also decided we needed to launch products faster.”

Two approaches Hartner clearly brought into play were using modularity across the line-up to accelerate ExOne’s machine launches and staying intently focused on serving customer needs. Indeed, ExOne leveraged the S-Print® sand AM platform for the new X1 160Pro, the company’s tenth metal AM machine, and used the same printhead as the X1 25Pro® for the InnoventPro that comes to market later this year.

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ExOne and the story of Binder Jetting

Fig. 12 Binder Jetting machines being manufactured at ExOne's Pittsburgh facility

As an added benefit, this approach enables customers to scale up production directly from one system to the next with ease.

As ExOne began moving faster than ever, it also began assessing what it could about competitor systems and observed some technical

example is ‘Single Pass Jetting’ from Desktop Metal, in which a gantry of equipment spreads powder and jets binder in a single sweep of the powder bed. ExOne, by contrast, heats and recoats powder first with its Triple ACT and then jets binder in a discrete function separately. To an

“As ExOne began moving faster than ever, it also began assessing what it could about competitor systems and observed some technical decisions that, in its opinion, would keep ExOne on top, amplifying in-house optimism that it would remain ahead of the pack.” decisions that, in its opinion, would keep ExOne on top, amplifying in-house optimism that it would remain ahead of the pack. One

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untrained customer, it likely seems faster and more efficient to have just one sweep across the bed. With years of experience in the field, though,

neither Lucas nor Brunermer sees it that way, even years after the system was announced, because they believe it challenges the ability to deliver high-quality parts.

“We intentionally didn’t do it years ago,” Lucas explained. “It limits the timing between the discrete functions. You lose knobs to turn when you do it that way. There’s limited adjustability.”

“Everything has to go the same speed when you tie it all together in a single-pass system,” Brunermer added. “It’s better to be able to control the delay between the recoating of the powder and the heating and the binder. You need the binder to soak in, even if it’s for a half a second. Chemical reactions have a time constant and there are true physics and fluid dynamics at play.”

HP didn’t go down the single-pass route for both jetting and recoating.

That said, it does use thermal printheads, which are the 2D printer maker’s specialty. Thermal print-

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Fig. 13 A gear assembly additively manufactured in 17-4PH

heads are less expensive, but they’re also less robust and require waterbased binders. Thermals work by boiling water-based ink or binder to a certain temperature, which creates a precise bubble and droplet. In ExOne’s opinion, thermal printheads could work for certain materials, but they’d have to be replaced with high frequency and would have limited ability to process a wide range of metals because of the oxidation caused by water, as well as other challenges with certain materials.

These days, competition has rechannelled ExOne’s drive to better collaborate and serve customers.

“It may be the best thing that ever happened to ExOne,” stated Brunermer. In the face of increased competition, the team began moving faster than ever, launching the X1 25Pro in 2019, ahead of the new competing production systems. The 25Pro has now been in the market for years and is being used successfully by Sandvik and other global companies.

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All the cross-shopping of new machines has driven interest to unprecedented levels at ExOne, where metal binder jet systems have been available all along. “We really do believe this year is a turning point for binder jet Additive Manufacturing,” said Hartner.

Binder Jetting’s material flexibility With a new market landscape underfoot, ExOne has ambitious plans ahead. Most of the competing Binder Jetting machines that come to market in 2021 will arrive with stainless steels, but more materials are expected to follow. ExOne has now qualified eleven single-alloy metals for its metal binder jet systems, nearly double that of its competitors.

These include 17-4PH, 304L and 316L stainless steels, M2 tool steel, Inconel 718, cobalt chrome, copper, H13 tool steel, Inconel 625, titanium and tungsten heavy alloy. Even

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more ceramic and ceramic-metal powders are now being processed successfully by customers.

Aluminium, which is qualified for R&D use at ExOne, has been fasttracked for ExOne’s highest thirdparty qualification status, expected during 2021.

ExOne has also been leading innovative binder development. New binders such as CleanFuse™ and NanoFuse™ are giving ExOne an undeniable competitive advantage, with clean-burning binders for carbon-sensitive metals, improved sintering dynamics and more yet-tobe-announced capabilities.

ExOne’s new fighting spirit Beyond its Additive Manufacturing technology itself, ExOne is also building out high-volume production processes for Binder Jetting with global companies that would have had Larry Rhoades beaming. Sophisticated new

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ancillary equipment is on the horizon, along with smart technologies that connect machines for true Industry 4.0 performance.

These days, ExOne feels like an invigorated company.

“It’s almost like you're in a fight with someone and you're the underdog. And then, by the seventh or eighth round, you start believing you can win. And that's kind of what's happened,” Lucas said. “People started believing we could win because we were having success.”

“The thing I’m proudest of these past few years is how focused we’ve become on collaborating with and serving customers,” Hartner stated. “We see an increasing number of customers looking into how our technology can help their business, whether it’s delivering lightweight parts, higher performance parts, or even decentralising their supply chain. We see the whole field growing and, while ExOne and Binder Jetting is still relatively young, we’re proud to have planted and nurtured those early seeds.”

ExOne and the story of Binder Jetting

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE METAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY WWW.METAL-AM.COM

Author Sarah A Webster Chief Marketing Officer The ExOne Company North Huntingdon Pennsylvania USA sarah.webster@exone.com www.exone.com

References [1] Massachusetts Institute of Technology and The ExOne Company, LLC, Amended & Restated Exclusive Patent License Agreement, www.sec.gov/ Archives/edgar/data/1561627/000119312513022189/ d461168dex100101.htm, accessed 3rd March 2021 [2] Licensees of 3D Printing Technology, http://web.mit. edu/tdp/www/licensees.html, accessed 3rd March 2021 [3] Lawrence J Rhoades, The Transformation of Manufacturing in the 21st Century, in Celebrating Manufacturing Technology, March 2005, www.nae.edu/7600/ TheTransformationofManufacturinginthe21stCentury

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MIM in China and Taiwan

Riding the storm: A review of progress in China and Taiwan's MIM industry during 2020 Greater China's Metal Injection Moulding industry has witnessed extraordinary growth over the past decade, driven by the booming demand from the consumer electronics industry. As Chinese MIM industry consultant Dr Chiou Yau Hung, widely known as Dr Q, explains, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic did little to derail progress in China and Taiwan. On the contrary, the global demand for 3C devices such as computers and smartphones had the effect of driving MIM output to record levels. Together with his colleague James Chao, Dr Q reports on the impact of 2020 on Greater China's MIM output and highlights industry trends.

2020 seems like the strangest year in recent memory; aside from world wars, no previous era has seen the borders between countries so strictly enforced as they have been since the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). I personally experienced a total of ninety days in isolation, with three trips abroad resulting in a total of six quarantine periods.

After this I understood what it must feel like to be a caged bird. Even with the constant companionship that modern technology can provide, there are still limits to human comfort in confinement.

With this unique situation ongoing and so many business activities being suspended, what was the status of the MIM industry in China by the end of 2020? China experienced the first COVID-19 outbreak globally, but it was also the first country to bring the epidemic under control. So, was the Chinese MIM industry seriously impacted

by COVID-19? Simply put: no. When common sense is applied en masse, human beings have the ability to quickly overcome adversity.

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Sales during COVID-19 reached record highs Despite the pandemic, China and Taiwan were only affected in the first half of the year due to a firm epidemic response by the government and citizens which allowed the countries to return, comparatively

quickly, to ‘business as usual’. By July, many industries, MIM included, had seen a rebound. I and the China Powder Metallurgy Alliance (CPMA), fearing the impact of the pandemic would lead to a decline, had previously estimated that MIM sales throughout the year would only just meet those of the previous year.

Fig. 1 Major 3C manufacturing centres such as Guangzhou have benefited from the surge in demand for 'communication-enabling' consumer electronics (Courtesy xiquinhosilva / Flickr)

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1500

Actual sales volume for 2020 as estimated in January 2021

USD $ (Million)

1200

900

Estimate of Dr Q and CPMA estimated in December 2020

600

300

0

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Year North America

Europe

Japan

China and Taiwan

ROW

Fig. 2 Estimated MIM sales data for 2020. This graph is built upon a previous version, originally published in PIM International, Vol. 12 No. 4, December 2018

As shown in Fig. 2, estimated MIM sales data in China and Taiwan for the full year 2020 in fact exceeded the previous year’s totals and are grounds for optimism.

industry during 2020. Unsurprisingly, according to the statistical results, nearly 66% of this revenue was derived from 3C (Computer, Communications and Consumer Electronics)

“The top twenty MIM manufacturers accumulated more than CN¥7.5 billion in sales in China and Taiwan, while around a further two hundred MIM factories achieved CN¥2 billion in sales, resulting in a total revenue of over CN¥10 billion for the MIM industry during 2020.”

The results, as of January 2021, prove surprising: the top twenty MIM manufacturers accumulated more than CN¥7.5 billion (around $1 billion) in sales in China and Taiwan, while around a further two hundred MIM factories achieved CN¥2 billion ($300 million) in sales, resulting in a total revenue of over CN¥10 billion ($1.5 billion) for the MIM

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products. From this 3C revenue, 85% consisted of MIM products for Apple and Chinese brands such as Huawei, Vivo, Oppo, and Mi, collectively known as ‘HVOM’.

These figures are the highest ever reported, implying that, rather than being affected negatively by the pandemic, the MIM industry in China and Taiwan was boosted by

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it – and by a large margin. I believe this is due to the importance of the internet and communication: people can’t meet one another in person, but that doesn’t stop the internet from fulfilling the demand for communication, and MIM parts are widely used in all of the most popular communication devices and were able to be produced with barely a hitch.

The top twenty MIM factories in China and Taiwan are shown in Table 1. The main markets for these companies are the 3C, automobile and medical sectors. The production of military weapons is not included in these statistics. Components for home appliances, locks and power tools saw an increase from 2019.

Winds of change in the MIM market On average, one new MIM plant is set up in China every month. The reason why new MIM plants are so frequently established in China and Taiwan is twofold. Firstly, there is the extremely wide scope of applications for MIM

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MIM in China and Taiwan

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Capacity of factory

Revenue/ year Material (Billion RMB) systems**

Products > 10,000 litres/day Connected by all high-speed transportation (high speed rail, freeway and airport) Own tooling shop Advanced

Lines of walking beam furnaces: >5

> 1.0

>6

Apple, AVL and EICC approved Independent factory buildings* >3

Company name

Location

Jiangsu Gian Technology Co., Ltd. www.jsgian.com

Changzhou and Dongguan

Shanghai Future Hi-tech Co., Ltd. www.future-sh.com

Shanghai and Dongguan

C.T.O. of Foxconn Group www.foxconn.com.cn

Guangzhou

Zoltrix Material (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. of C.N.I. Group www.cn-innovations.com

Guangzhou

Indo-MIM

To be confirmed / postponed because of COVID-19

Hangzhou Amphenol Phoenix Telecom Parts Co., Ltd. www.amphenol-hzp.com

Hangzhou and Qujing

Suzhou China Powder Technology Co., Ltd. www.cptmim.com

Suzhou

Xiamen Tongda Precision Technology Co., Ltd.

Xiamen

Shenzhen Shindy Technology Co., Ltd. www.shindytech.com

Shenzhen and Huizhou

Shin Zu Shing Co., Ltd. www.szs.com.tw

New Taipei

U.N.E.E.C. Chenming Mold Ind. Corp. www.uneec.com

Dongguan

Shenzhen Element Technology Co., Ltd www.elementpim.com

Shenzhen

DYPT China of Dou Yee Technologies Pte Ltd www.douyeeintl.com

Hefei

Jiangsu Jun Technology Co., Ltd. www.jun-technologies.com

Shuyang

Shenzhen Pacific Union Technology Co., Ltd. www.pu-sz.com

Shenzhen

JKMIM www.jkmim.com

Jiashan

Jarllytec Co., Ltd. www.jarlly.com

New Taipei

Shenzhen ElementPlus Material Technology Co., Ltd. http://ep-pim.com

Shenzhen

Dongguan Huayan New Material Technology Co.,Ltd www.hypim.com

Donggang

ATMIK Metal Materials Co., Ltd www.atmmim.cn

Suzhou

Jiangsu Licheng Technology Co., Ltd. www.jslicheng.com

Suzhou

Anhui Haofang electromechanical Co., Ltd. www.hofo-em.com

Bengbu

Hydrogen generation or tanks on site Stock market listed parent company In-house feedstock production: > 50%

Products > 5,000 litres/day Connected by two key transport services (high-speed railroad, freeway or airport) Own tooling shop Leading

Lines of walking beam furnaces: > 2

> 0.2

>4

Apple, AVL and EICC approved Independent factory buildings* > 2 Hydrogen generation or tanks on site In-house feedstock production: > 30%

Products < 5,000 litres/day Connected by two key transport services (high-speed railroad, freeway or airport) Stable

Outsourcing of tooling shop Lines of walking beam furnaces: > 1 Independent factory buildings* >1 In-house feedstock production: > 20%

> 0.1

>3

Table 1 The top twenty MIM producers in China and Taiwan. *Independent buildings provide for different customer confidentiality requirements, **Iron and steel are one material system. Other material systems include stainless steels, Co alloys, nickel and nickel alloys, W alloys, copper and copper alloys, ceramics and cemented carbide

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Fig. 3 The camera lens frames/housings of smartphones are big business for MIM. Huawei (top) uses 316L stainless steel, however Apple (bottom) now uses ASTM F75 (Courtesy Huawei / Apple)

technology, with many engineers having embraced it as a replacement for more conventional manufacturing processes. Second is the result of regulation in other manufacturing industries; the Chinese government has restricted or closed many older foundries and die casting factories.

The space left in the market is then easily filled by MIM. An indicator of the MIM boom is the increase in powder production. At present, there are at least five MIM stainless steel powder atomising and milling plants in China, each of which can produce in excess of 2,000 tons per year. There are also two

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steelmaking plants which will have capacity to produce 10,000 tons of powder per year. Binder Jetting (BJT) Additive Manufacturing is, of course, also a driver here and will likely drive price competition between these powder suppliers.

Another indicator was the lack of any significant disruption in MIM production due to COVID-19, including for companies producing feedstock mixers, injection moulding machines and debinding and sintering furnaces (both continuous and vacuum types).

Monthly deliveries and on-site installations meant that manufacturers were extremely busy.

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New materials drive demand The capabilities and advantages of MIM parts, such as improving a smartphone’s reception, offering thermal protection, good electromagnetic compatibility, and the ability to be produced without the use of nickel, are helping to weave the industry further into the 3C markets. The demand for MIM parts will therefore follow the growing trajectory of smartphones and wearable devices, which are now widely accepted as ‘life’s necessities’.

In addition to new materials from BASF, more industry-standard materials which meet MPIF Standard 35 are also being developed as powders for use in MIM. ASTM F75 (a CoCrMo alloy) is one such material, thanks to its being high-strength, non-magnetic and nickel free. This alloy has already been widely used in the camera lens frames for smartphones (Fig. 3).

New binder systems under development will require a new catalytic debinding agent, oxalic acid, which is already in use in Ceramic Injection Moulding (CIM). It is only through the use of oxalic acid as a catalytic debinder that the industry will be able to reduce pollution, meeting higher standards for environmental protection. Al2O3, 3Y & 5Y ZrO2, iron oxide (for special inductors) and 5G ceramic filters are already beginning to adopt this debinding agent.

Powder Metallurgy and Additive Manufacturing are moving closer to MIM MIM has long been recognised as a ‘near-net shape’ process. After obtaining a sintered part, so long as any necessary post-processing is completed, parts can be produced in extremely high volumes whilst meeting the often very complex design requirements of 3C products. While the traditional PM industry is aware of the large-scale achievements of MIM products, a process named high-performance Powder Metallurgy (HPM) that uses MIM-grade powder is now being used to produce more advanced miniature gear parts which meet requirements for dimensional accuracy. MIM’s successful duality could also lay a framework for the

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MIM in China and Taiwan

growth of Binder Jetting in the AM industry. I believe that, within five years, Binder Jetting technology could be the frontrunner for orders of fewer than 1,000 parts.

Notebook PCs return to the fore The new notebook computer models announced by Apple and HVOM in 2020 are all now on sale but in short supply, as the coronavirus has increased demand for technology for home working and home schooling.

With many notebooks using MIM hinges, production has seen a remarkable increase and, as a result, the long-lost ‘notebook cities’ of Suzhou and Kunshan City, Jiangsu, and Dongguan, Guangdong, have seen a revival. The factories producing these hinges are now running with full orders, appearing to reflect the general boom of the Chinese and Taiwanese MIM industries during the pandemic.

Trends in MIM powder and feedstock MIM, offering as it does the ability to process a wide range of materials for industrial applications, has significantly widened its market of applications and, with that opening, there is more impetus to find ways to develop new powder materials with suitable properties: a virtuous cycle.

Wax-based stainless steel feedstocks are the materials most widely used for MIM – 75% of the market is comprised of products made from this combination. Wax-based feedstock was once moving towards retirement, replaced by POM, until 2014 when BASF’s patent expired. At that time, there were around twenty feedstock factories already operating in China, but even some powder manufacturers saw the opportunity to make moves into the feedstock business. The future of the Chinese and Taiwanese industry will likely see powder and feedstock plants form alliances or merge.

This flexibility in powder manufacturing will prove useful in future.

Because the future of fine powder is

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Fig. 4 MIM hinges are widely used across the consumer electronics sector and offer high levels of reliability and the ability to produce complex, miniaturised designs that allow for the production of thinner electronic devices. Top: an Apple Macbook Air, in which the use of MIM hinges extends the lifetime of the laptop’s frame, middle: a Samsung folding smartphone in which MIM hinges are also used, and bottom: a Galaxy Buds Pro earphone case, also manufactured with a MIM hinge (Courtesy Apple/Samsung)

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not only the remit of MIM, but other alternative manufacturing methods such as Additive Manufacturing and laser cladding, it is vital that powder manufacturers also understand these other process technologies in order to best serve their customers.

There’s more to powders than cost So long as materials have their own unique advantages, the price of the powder is not necessarily the first factor to be considered. After 2013, when it gained favour with Apple, 17-4PH stainless steel became the most popular material in the MIM market, replacing 304. For a time,

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The reason so many steel powders can be experimented with and, where successful, brought into production is that so many processing steps can be performed using existing MIM production capacity – for example, successfully heat treating parts with vacuum debinding sintering furnaces with graphite heating elements. Titanium, in contrast, has proven difficult to work with in this same way, as it requires the use of a hydrogen atmosphere and metal heating elements, which can prove challenging.

In China, MIM products consisting of copper, tungsten, nickel, titanium

“For a time, BASF’s PANACEA® seemed like it could become the industry frontrunner: its low magnetism combined with a lack of nickel meant it could take the place of 316L. PANACEA’s complicated post-sintering heat treatment, however, meant that it was eventually replaced by ASTM F75.”

BASF’s PANACEA® seemed like it could become the industry frontrunner: its low magnetism combined with a lack of nickel meant it could take the place of 316L. PANACEA’s complicated post-sintering heat treatment, however, meant that it was eventually replaced by ASTM F75.

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and their respective alloys are also finding increased uses, mainly due to the rise in 5G and electric vehicles.

High-speed data transmissions and the currents that parts are exposed to can lead to the problem of heat dissipation and electromagnetic interference within the circuit systems. In developing high-strength

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parts for these applications, complex geometric designs are often required; as MIM is capable of achieving near-net shape production, it is in the industry’s interest to adopt these newer materials to further broaden its market reach.

Conclusion MIM can always win in the face of the combined challenges of casting, machining, forging and stamping technologies – even the new liquidmetal injection moulding and Additive Manufacturing processes.

This is one of the reasons why China and Taiwan have the largest number of MIM factories in the world.

Reflecting on 2020, several things stand out: the longest quarantines, the shortest distances travelled and the highest popularity of masks in modern times. It is lucky that the MIM industry was not crushed by the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the global population must take part in the post-epidemic revival of the economy and the MIM industry should be the one putting the first foot forward into this new era, meeting new challenges with confidence.

Authors Dr Q (Yau Hung, Chiou) and James Chao (Yu Deh, Chao) You neeD Technology Office chiou_yh@yahoo.com.tw

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PM CHINA 2021

The 14th Shanghai International Powder Metallurgy Exhibition & Conference

May 23-25, 2021 Shanghai World Expo Exhibition Center

Convergence of Cutting-edge Technology & Products

Organizer Tel: +86 4000 778 909 +86 20 8327 6369/6389 Email: pmchina@unirischina.com pmchina@unifair.com Web: www.pmexchina.com 106

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Euro PM2020: Advances in PIM processing

Advanced Powder Injection Moulding process developments presented at Euro PM2020 Within the programme of the successful Euro PM2020 Virtual Congress, organised by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) and held October 5–7, 2020, a technical session, comprising three papers, addressed advanced process developments in Powder Injection Moulding (PIM). In this review, Dr David Whittaker reports on these presentations that addressed the opportunities around single-use moulds, advanced part customisation, and cobalt-free diamond composite for cutting tool applications.

Additively manufactured single-use polymer moulds for prototypes and small series production by Powder Injection Moulding The first paper in this review reported on the development of additively manufactured single-use polymer moulds for prototyping and small series production and was presented by Axel Mueller-Koehn, Eric Schwarzer and Tassilo Moritz (Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems, IKTS, Germany) and Uffe Bihlet and Kyriakos Didilis (AddiFab, Denmark) [1].

In Powder Injection Moulding, several iterations are often required when different aspects of the part design and the production process are tested. This can be a timeconsuming exercise, as tooling rework commonly lasts five to six weeks. Of the attempts to address this issue, only the use of soft tooling, made by casting epoxy or AM polymer tooling, has allowed a prototype to

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be made with the same production process and material as the final part.

The limitations of polymer moulding made by Vat Photopolymerisation (VPP), or stereolithography, are mostly related to the lack of strength, durability and heat resistance of the mould materials used. In a new approach, termed Freeform Injection Moulding (FIM), a dissolvable UV-hardening polymer

is used to additively manufacture moulds. FIM has been commercially demonstrated using conventional PIM feedstocks consisting of a polymer-based binder and metal powder. Using a dissolvable mould material removes all mould design restraints, such as draft angles, ejector pins and split lines, and even allows AM-like part designs, which are simply not possible with conventional split tools. Mould deterioration

Fig. 1 Bone screw design (left) and simplified design (right) [1]

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is also not an issue, as the mould material is formulated to dissolve and, therefore, be single-use.

The presented study addressed the process variables required for the application of a specific CIM feedstock with the FIM process and, in addition, sintered test parts were evaluated with reference to dimensional tolerances, roughness and debinding defects.

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To demonstrate the process, a variant of a bone screw design of approximate length of 18 mm was selected (Fig. 1). A simplified version of the screw without threads was used. The external dimensions of the AM moulds were fixed at Ø35 x 10 mm. The moulds were additively manufactured using an AddiFab system, comprising both software and hardware. The AddiFab

Filling Pressure (bar)

Fig. 2 CT scan of a test mould, additively manufactured with 100 μm layer thickness. Two wavy lines on the otherwise flat internal surface indicate sagging of a layer due to lack of support during the build [1] 1500 1400 1300 1200 1100 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 0.0

6

5

4

3

2

1 0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

Time (s)

Fig. 3 Pressure flow during the injection moulding process [1]

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1.8

2.0

AM machine is based on the VPP principle and produces parts from a dissolvable, UV-hardening liquid acrylic resin. Parts were built with a layer thickness of 50 μm, resulting in 200 layers with a build duration of an hour. After the build, the moulds were cleaned and flushed repeatedly with isopropanol at ambient temperature to remove residual resin. The moulds were post-cured with a flood beam system at a UVA range of 320–390 nm with an intensity of 105 mW/cm² for 3 minutes on both sides.

A CIM-compatible vertical injection moulding machine was used for injection moulding. Prior to each shot, the AM mould inserts were manually placed within a steel 'mother' mould.

A commercial feedstock, based on polyethylene-wax binder components and 99.8% pure alumina powder, was used. The nozzle temperature was 170°C, the steel tool temperature 90°C, the injection volume flow rate 16 cm/s, the maximum injection pressure 950 bar, the holding pressure 500 bar, the injection time 0.3 s and the cooling time 30 s.

Following injection moulding, the AM mould was dissolved in a proprietary AddiFab demoulding agent at a temperature of 35°C. Debinding of green parts was then conducted in two steps: firstly, solvent extraction of wax components was carried out in isopropanol at 70°C for 24 hours and, secondly, thermal debinding was carried out in a convection furnace in air up to 600°C. Sintering took place in air at 1620°C for 2 h with a heating rate of 3 K/min.

Some initial experimentation was conducted on a number of CAD files with regard to the part orientation within the AM mould. It became apparent that overhanging, flat areas perpendicular to the building direction should be avoided, as the lack of support of overhangs during the AM process leads to the sagging of unsupported areas, as shown in the bottom of Fig. 2.

This is a phenomenon which is affected by the layer thickness during Additive Manufacturing, as thinner layers are weaker and require better support.

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Fig. 4 The mould insert before insertion into the steel 'mother' mould and subsequent injection with ceramic feedstock [1]

For initial parameter adjustment for injection moulding, a preliminary process simulation in machine mode was helpful. Exact prediction of shot volume was also necessary because testing shots are possible only in AM moulds. In the injection trials, higher mould and feedstock temperatures, in comparison with steel moulds, were applied to enable the suitable flow behaviour of feedstocks, because of the thermal insulating character of the mould resin. In addition, the cooling time was extended.

The holding pressure was very effective during freezing because of the slow cooling. In Fig. 3, pressure flow is shown as a function of filling time.

After moulding, the consolidation of melted feedstock is related to the shrinkage of the green body. For PE-wax based materials, a shrinkage of 1.8% is commonly observed.

This shrinkage led to separation of the green component from the mould. Cracks only occurred in the venting channels and gating area.

The demoulding process proved successful and left the parts with the same shape and appearance as the one within the moulds.

Characterisation of the sintered components identified feedstock shrinkage very close to the specified

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Fig. 5 The mould insert and moulded part in the steel 'mother' mould [1]

[mm] 0.50 0.40 -0.26

-0.46

0.30 0.20

-0.49

-0.27

0.10 0.00

-0.37

-0.10 -0.20

-0.45

-0.30 -0.40

-0.31

-0.50

Fig. 6 Comparison of 3D measurement of sintered part with CAD data [1]

level, i.e. 18.8% (measured) vs. 18.5% (specified), resulting in a mould factor of 1.23 (1.2006 specified). A sintered density of 3.94 g/cm³ was reached. These results showed that there is no interaction of mould design, mould material and demoulding procedure with debinding and sintering properties of the applied feedstock, in principle.

The parts are slightly undersized (Fig. 6), but this deviation is relatively homogenous and could potentially be compensated with an adjustment of the oversize factor.

Also, there were no oversized features measured, indicating that an FIM mould can successfully retain its structural integrity with the tested parameters. These

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Fig. 7 Results of roughness measurements on rounded area with visible layer steps [1]

heights of these steps in sintered components are in range 20 to 30 μm. This corresponds to the applied layer thickness of 50 μm for the AM moulds after sintering.

Fig. 8 shows the results of roughness measurements on a flat area.

Here, an overall roughness depth (Sz) of 18 μm and an arithmetical mean deviation (Sa) of 4 μm was achieved. It was concluded that the roughness of parts produced by FIM does not deviate significantly from steel moulds and there is room for further improvement by decreasing the layer thickness even further or by testing polishing solutions.

Overall, this study has shown that the FIM approach is fully compatible with CIM; that the application of commercial feedstocks and standard thermal processing is possible; and that the resulting parts have shapes, sizes and finishes similar to those produced by conventional methods.

Advanced shaping possibilities for feedstockbased processes

Fig. 8 Results of roughness measurements on flat area. Sa value of 4 μm and Sz value of 18 μm [1]

parameters can be used as a basis for further improvement.

For conventional injection moulding, polishing of the inner cavities is a way to control the roughness of the final part. With the FIM approach, this is not possible as the mould is closed. Since the mould is additively manufactured layer by

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layer, the roughness of the vertical features are determined by the layer pitch resulting from the build parameters. For roughness measurements, two mutually perpendicular areas of the screw head were characterised.

The area in Fig. 7 is rounded, but surface layer steps of the mould building process are visible. The

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Next, Sebastian Boris Hein, Janne Haack and Frank Petzoldt (Fraunhofer IFAM, Germany) presented a paper on advanced shaping possibilities for feedstockbased PIM processes [2]. The focus of the reported work was on production concepts that make use of mould inserts to alter the resulting cavity, which is then filled with feedstock during the moulding step. The mould inserts can be used once, or reused, depending on the intention and the material.

The examples given in the presentation included inserts made by various processes. Specifically, silicone foils for surface structuring as well as polymer parts produced by low-cost AM processes such as VPP and Material Extrusion (MEX) processes, for example Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), were used for experiments.

Depending on the specific process, the inserts were either

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Euro PM2020: Advances in PIM processing

Fig. 9 Metallic plate with riblet structure (left), green part surface (middle), cross section of sintered part (right) (nickelbase alloy) [2] pre-heated in a furnace, in the mould or not at all. The injection moulding machines used for the moulding experiments were a piston injection moulding machine and a screw injection moulding machine, using base moulds with rectangular-cavities to place the mould inserts inside.

Silicone foils, used for surface structuring tests were made by the casting of a two-component silicone onto a pre-structured metal surface.

The surface structure (riblets) was created by machining. After polymerisation, the silicone foil was manually removed from the metal template, cut into correctly sized pieces, and inserted into the base mould prior to feedstock injection.

The approach to structuring the surface of a part targeted different applications. The example given aimed at providing a regular riblet structure onto metal parts, in order to reduce flow resistance in specific applications. Generating such a structure in a metallic material is particularly relevant for thermally stressed parts, where other materials, such as polymers, are not applicable. A further potential application area comes from the medical field, especially for implants, for example to manage cell adhesion, or if they have to form a stable connection with bone, for which a mechanical interlocking may be advantageous.

Fig. 9 shows the metal plate used for silicone casting, as well as the structure of an injection moulded green part and a cross section of a sintered part. Unsurprisingly, the rather sharp peaks of the riblets tend to become rounded during sintering.

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In addition, the relative size of the structure and the powder particles plays an important role in terms of the quality of the final structure. To date, the overall concept is applicable to simple parts, but, in future work, the use of silicone foils to structure specific areas of more complex parts will be investigated. The ease of producing the silicone foils makes the approach quite interesting, in its current state, at least for development purposes.

Polymer parts used as mould inserts were made by the three different processes, two VPP processes (Digital Light Processing (DLP) and Stereolithography (SLA), and FFF. For part tagging with DLP inserts, the inserts contained a Data Matrix code, either as an indentation or as elevated structures. During moulding, the Data Matrix code is transferred to the green part. This study was carried out with the goal of individual tagging of green parts in mind, with regard to ongoing

Module filling

work aimed at process digitalisation and backtracing of MIM parts, starting from the shaping step. The main purpose of this aspect of the study was to identify the conditions resulting in readable codes for green and sintered parts.

It was observed that the DLP AM of a protruding structure, which would result in cavities in the MIM part, is not feasible on a reliable basis, as the tiny pins tend to be ripped off during the build process. The Additive Manufacturing of cavities shows no problems, but the filling density of the structure matters in relation to the resulting pins of the MIM part. If the pins are too close, the pins grow together during sintering, resulting in reduced readability of the code.

Possibly, the thin walls between the cavities in the DLP part become too weak to withstand the injection, which may also be a reason for the reduced pin resolution for high module fillings, especially 90%. Fig. 10 shows this correlation.

Pins

Readability

90%

63%

80%

96%

70%

96%

60%

79%

50%

0%

Fig. 10 Correlation between module filling, pin shape and code readability [2]

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Fig. 11 Left side: CAD design, FFF part, combination part, green part, brown part and sintered part (316L); right side: FFF part placed in base mould [2]

As the tags can be generated automatically, additively manufactured in large numbers and used on demand, applicability seems to be assured. For more complex parts, a chosen area of the base mould would have to be left open into which the DLP tags could be inserted. This will be investigated in the future in more detail.

In contrast to the previous concepts that are more likely to be used to alter a specific area of parts, the use of AM parts to provide the entire cavity of the part, as well as the sprue system, has also been investigated. This approach is very close to typical rapid tooling, but with low-cost AM moulds, produced by DLP or SLA. This concept works in principle with the chosen SLA material. The main observed issues can be attributed to the lack in precision of the SLA process. The outer dimensions of the SLA parts did not fit perfectly into the cavity of the base mould.

The high injection pressure during the injection step then led to a slight opening in the mould parting surface.

Thus, feedstock overflow and an incomplete filling of thin-walled parts resulted. Nonetheless, parts could be moulded and the moulds were used for seventy-five injection cycles in the case of a crucible mould. The observed issues could be tackled by specific measures, such as building

112

the moulds slightly larger than the base mould cavity and grinding the outer dimension to fit better and using a feedstock with lower melt viscosity to decrease the required injection pressure.

The concept of lost-form inserts was aimed at using materials in combination with feedstocks that can be removed by a physical or chemical treatment that leads to the decomposition of the insert. Thus, the moulded part can be retrieved without mechanical measures, which leads to an increased degree of freedom in design, e.g. undercuts or size-variant channels can be achieved that could not be demoulded with conventional tool technologies. In previously reported work, the group used DLP parts of conventional resin as mould inserts to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach. The resin-based DLP parts are not chemically soluble and were therefore intended to be burnt out during the thermal treatment for debinding and sintering. In several cases, the approach worked well, but there remained a variability in the results that could not yet be resolved and makes this approach currently unreliable.

In order to create chemically soluble inserts, FFF was used for the insert manufacturing, using PVA filament. As PVA is water soluble, moulded parts comprising the PVA

Powder Injection Moulding International

March 2021

insert and the feedstock green part can be submerged in water until the PVA is dissolved. Fig. 11 shows a test geometry in all process steps and the insert placed inside the base mould.

As shown in Fig. 11, this process is feasible, but several technical issues had to be faced. The two major issues were that residual PVA leads to problems during thermal treatment and can damage the part. Also, low green strength of the feedstock is problematic, as the PVA swells during its dissolution and this can induce cracks in the green part.

However, the main issue with this approach is the as-built quality of the FFF part. FFF leads to considerably worse surface quality than DLP or SLA and, when a feedstock is injected with high pressure, any insufficient connection between strands can be infiltrated by feedstock, distorting the final part. The approach to remove the insert chemically rather than thermally seems to be the appropriate direction for development.

Based on material development approaches for DLP, hydrolysable parts, with the resulting decomposition products being soluble in aqueous media, can be produced.

Currently, AM machines and adapted materials are commercially available for plastic injection moulding and the first encouraging results for MIM and CIM exist. This approach is very promising for materials that do not

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Euro PM2020: Advances in PIM processing

Volume density (%)

15

10

5

0 0.01

0.1

1.0 10.0 100.0 Particle size [μm]

1000.0

Fig. 12 Particle size distribution (differential) for the FeNiCuP alloy obtained by HEBM [3]

corrode during the removal of the insert. A combination of the DLP-part removal and chemical debinding may be interesting as a means of saving processing time and is a subject of ongoing research.

Development of a PIM process for cobalt free diamond composite for cutting tool applications Finally, Iñigo Agote and Cristina Guraya (TECNALIA, Basque Research and Technology Alliance, Spain), Alberto Colella (MBN Nanomaterials SpA, Italy) and Edoardo Nicolis and Marta Dai Pre (DELLAS SpA, Italy) described the development of a Powder Injection Moulding process for cobalt-free diamond composites for cutting tool applications [3].

The current manufacturing process for tool segments for rock cutting uses a pressure-assisted sintering process (uniaxial hot pressing) to obtain fully dense materials at relatively low sintering temperature. This process involves a number of steps: mixing and granulation of the powders (cobalt and diamond), then cold pressing of the mixture and finally sintering under controlled atmosphere and assisted by a mechanical pressure to obtain a fully dense product. This manufacturing route has some

Vol. 15 No. 1 © 2021 Inovar Communications Ltd

limitations, such as the restrictions in the part geometry and productivity of the process.

Called Diamond Injection Moulding (DIM) by the authors, this variant of PIM can overcome these limitations. Therefore, the development of the injection moulding process for this application can bring substantial improvements in terms of productivity and final part complexity.

Bearing in mind that machining of these composites is very difficult and costly and, therefore, the reduction in final machining would offer an important lead time reduction and cost benefits.

Nevertheless, the development of a PIM/DIM process adapted to diamond-based composites is not an easy task. While the PIM process allows complex part manufacturing, the uniaxial hot pressing of complex parts is difficult, if not impossible.

Therefore, this would require the substitution of the current cobalt matrix by a metal that allows a pressureless sintering process. The PIM process also requires the design of a suitable binder system and feedstock for the process (to allow good injection mouldability, fast debinding and adequate sintering).

In view of this, the aims of the presented study were the substitution of Co as the metallic binder phase by a new non-critical and less toxic alloy and the optimisation

of the diamond injection moulding process. The new metallic powder was obtained by a High Energy Ball Milling (HEBM) process and, thus, its physical properties were quite different from standard PIM grade powders. In addition, an 'ad-hoc' water soluble organic binder system for the injection moulding process was to be developed to allow a high water debinding rate and thus increase the process productivity Elemental powders (Fe, Ni, Cu and P) were mixed in the appropriate ratio and the mixture was ball milled vigorously to create the final alloy (FeNiCuP).

The particle size distribution of the powder, presented in Fig. 12, shows a typical one size log-normal distribution with an average particle size of about 29.1 µm; comparable to most MIM-grade powders. The present alloy, obtained by HEBM, showed an irregular shape with some roundish appearance as can also be seen in the SEM micrograph in Fig. 10. This lack of sphericity may require slightly higher binder content to adapt the rheological properties to the PIM process.

Commercial synthetic diamond with a size D50~300 µm was used.

This diamond was coated with TiN to improve the interaction with the metallic matrix and protect it against oxidation. For a gang saw application, a composite with a low amount

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Compound

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of diamond was used, typically, 2–3 wt.% of diamond.

The binder system has been designed using three main constituents:

wt.%

PEG

72

PMMA

26

SA

2

• Low melting point water soluble organic compound: Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)

Table 1 Binder System composition [3]

• High melting point organic compound: Poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA)

Powder (vol.%) Metallic alloy

Diamond

50.14

2.86

Binder (vol.%)

47

Table 2 Feedstock composition [3]

Viscosity vs SR

Viscosity (Pa.s)

10000

120°C 130°C

1000

100

10 10

100

1000

Shear Rate (s-1)

Fig. 13 Rheological behaviour of the feedstock at 120 and 130°C [3]

Fig. 14 Example of the injection moulded segments for the gang saw tool [3]

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• Surfactant: stearic acid (SA) Binder constituents were premixed at high temperatures where all the constitutents were in liquid state. The amount of each constituent was evaluated so that the best binder composition for the injection moulding and debinding steps was obtained. This composition is shown in Table 1.

The feedstock for the injection moulding process was developed using the new alloy, diamond and the organic binder. The initial step was to identify the Critical Powder Volume Concentration (CPVC). This is important because it will allow an efficient process: appropriate injection moulding step, reduction of the debinding time and lower shrinkage during sintering, thus improving the final dimensional tolerances of the part. This was done using a Torque Rheometer. The powder was added stepwise into the mixing cavity where all the binder was previously introduced. By measuring the torque change each time a new amount of powder was added, the CPVC was calculated. Each time a new amount of powder was added, the torque increased and reached a stable value. When the CPVC was reached, there was no longer stabilisation of the torque. This corresponded to 57 vol.% of powder.

For practical purposes the optimum powder concentration in the feedstock typically is 2–3% below the CPVC. However, in this particular case, as diamond particles were being used, a slightly lower powder content was used in the feedstock, i.e. 4% below the CPVC (see Table 2).

The rheological properties were evaluated using a capillary

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Injection T (ºC)

90-110

Injection P (bar)

20-30

Cooling time (s)

30-50

Table 3 Main injection moulding parameters [3]

a)

20°C

209°C

381°C

600°C

b)

Temperature (°C)

plastometer. As can be seen in Fig. 13, at 120 and 130°C., the rheological behaviour of the feedstock is adequate for the injection moulding process (with viscosities below the 1000 Pa·s considered as the highest value acceptable for the PIM process), showing viscosities in the range of 990–175 Pa·s at shear rates of 40–860 s-1.

The mixtures were injection moulded to dog bone shape (ISO 2740) tensile test specimens and gang saw segments (Fig. 14) were produced. The best injection moulding parameters were defined during the moulding process optimisation so that repeatable and good quality green samples were obtained. The main parameters are listed in Table 3.

These were debound in water and thermally. The water debinding process was studied and optimised.

The effects of different water temperatures and debinding times were analysed (temperatures from 20°C to 60°C and times from 1 h to 24 h). The binder removal rate strongly depended on the water temperature and the eliminated binder amount also depended on the immersion time. Although water temperatures of 40°C and 60°C gave the highest debinding rates, the debound samples showed cracks after this step, denoting too high a debinding rate. Therefore, the best compromise between debinding rate and defect-free samples was found at 30°C. After 12 h, more than 70% of the water-soluble binder fraction (PEG) was removed.

The thermal debinding cycle was designed using thermogravimetric analysis (Fig. 15). Identifying the temperature ranges at which the binder decomposes, the best profile for the thermal debinding cycle was designed. Thanks to the high binder content removed during the water debinding step, the heating rates for the thermal debinding process were increased, obtaining a substantial reduction in the time for the thermal debinding step. Brown samples, free of defects, were obtained for the sintering process.

Euro PM2020: Advances in PIM processing

600 0.5h

430 370

0.5h

Time Fig. 15 a) Thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis and b) Thermal debinding cycle [3]

Finally, the parts were sintered under hydrogen atmosphere. The sintering process was studied so that high densities could be obtained without damaging the diamond. To this end, different sintering temperatures were tested (from 935°C to 995°C). Fig. 16 shows density as a function of the sintering temperature and identifies that the density reached a maximum at 940°C.

Preliminary mechanical evaluation of the final parts showed a hardness similar to cobalt-containing composites: conventional Co+diamond composite has a hardness of 250 HB while the new material has a hardness of 260 HB. It was concluded that this reported work has revealed very promising results for use of the new alloy as a substitute for cobalt in diamond

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Densification vs T

References

940

[1] 3D-printed single-use polymer moulds for prototypes and small series suitable for Powder Injection Moulding, Axel Müller-Köhn, Eric Schwarzer, Tassilo Moritz. As presented at the Euro PM2020 Virtual Congress, October 5–7, 2020, and published in the proceedings by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA).

Relative density (%)

100.0% 80.0% 60.0% 40.0% 20.0% 0% 935

960

995

Temperature (°C)

Fig. 16 Obtained relative density vs sintering temperature [3]

composites for cutting tools. However, wear and field tests still need to be performed to fully assess the properties of the new material.

Author and contacts Dr David Whittaker Tel: +44 1902 338498 whittakerd4@gmail.com [1] Axel Müller-Köhn, Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems, Germany axel.mueller-koehn@ikts.fraunhofer.de [2] Sebastian Boris Hein, Fraunhofer Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing

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Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM, Germany sebastian.boris.hein@ifam. fraunhofer [3] Inigo Agote, TECNALIA, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Spain inigo.agote@tecnalia.com

Euro PM2020 Proceedings The full proceedings of the Euro PM2020 Virtual Congress are available to purchase from the European Powder Metallurgy Association. www.epma.com

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March 2021

[2] Advanced shaping possibilities for feedstock-based processes, Sebastian Boris Hein, Janne Haack, Frank Petzoldt. As presented at the Euro PM2020 Virtual Congress, October 5–7, 2020, and published in the proceedings by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA).

[3] Development of Powder Injection Moulding process of cobalt free diamond composite for cutting tool applications, I Agote, C Guraya, A Colella, E Nicolis, M Dai Prè. As presented at the Euro PM2020 Virtual Congress, October 5–7, 2020, and published in the proceedings by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA).

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OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE As the usage patterns of PIM International magazine’s audience develop and change, we have expanded our social media activities, enabling us to connect with our global audience on multiple levels.

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Advertisers’ index & buyer’s guide

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Advertisers’ index & buyer’s guide PIM International is the only business-to-business publication dedicated to reporting on the technical and commercial advances in the MIM, CIM, and sinter-based Additive Manufacturing industries.

MIM, CIM & AM parts producers

Available in both digital and print formats, PIM International is the perfect platform to promote your company to a global audience.

www.amt-mat.com

AMT Pte Ltd Ecrimesa Group

09 48

www.ecrimesa.es

For more information contact Jon Craxford, Advertising Sales Director Tel: +44 207 1939 749 jon@inovar-communications.com

Indo-US MIM Tec Pvt Ltd

47

www.indo-mim.com

MIMplus Technologies GmbH & Co. KG

26

www.mimplus.com mimplus.com

Metal powders

OECHSLER AG

Advanced Technology & Materials Co., Ltd. 36

Parmatech Corporation

www.atmcn.com/english

Epson Atmix Corporation

21

www.parmatech.com

13

www.atmix.co.jp

Hunan Hualiu New Materials Co.,Ltd.

41

www.oechsler.com

Shanghai Future Group

37

www.future-sh.com

42

www.hlpowder.com

Jiangxi Yuean Superfine Metal Co Ltd

45

www.yueanmetal.com

LD Metal Powders

49

www.ldpowder.com

Lide Powder Material Co,.Ltd

Feedstock mixers Winkworth Machinery Ltd

55

www.mixer.co.uk

57

www.lidemimpowder.com

Phoenix Scientific Industries Ltd

34

www.psiltd.co.uk

Sandvik Osprey Ltd

10

www.materials.sandvik

Shenzhen Elementplus Material Tech Co., Ltd

Advanced Metalworking Practices, LLC 60

atect corporation

06

BASF SE

24

KRAHN Ceramics GmbH

25

www.krahn-ceramics.com

Consulting/market analysis

Polymim GmbH

Wohlers Associates

Ryer Inc.

Vol. 15 No. 1 © 2021 Inovar Communications Ltd

15

www.catamold.com

www.ultrafinepowder.com

www.wohlersassociates.com

39

www.atect.co.jp/en/

www.tekna.com

Ultra Fine Powder Technology

19

www.ampmim.com

www.ep-pim.com

Tekna

Binders & feedstocks

47

27

www.polymim.com

IFC

www.ryerinc.com

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Furnaces & furnace supplies Centorr Vacuum Industries, Inc

Injection moulding machines 58

CM Furnaces Inc.

17

OBC

Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH

52

www.wittmann-group.com

www.cmfurnaces.com

Cremer Thermoprozessanlagen GmbH

Arburg GmbH & Co. KG www.arburg.com

www.vacuum-furnaces.com

31

www.cremer-polyfour.de

Elnik Systems

08

www.elnik.com

Kerafol GmbH & Co. KG

07

www.kerafol.com

Ningbo Hiper Vacuum Technology Co Ltd

33

Atmospheres & Gas generation Nel ASA

16

www.nelhydrogen.com

www.hiper.cn

Orton Ceramics

53

www.ortonceramic.com

Signature Vacuum Systems, Inc.

28

Digital Metal® 22

www.signaturevacuum.com

TAV Vacuum Furnaces SpA

54

www.digitalmetal.tech

ExOne 04

www.tav-vacuumfurnaces.com

Tisoma GmbH

AM technology

43

www.exone.com

Lithoz GmbH

www.tisoma.de

35

www.lithoz.com

Software simulation Sigmasoft® Virtual Molding

Tooling 40

www.sigmasoft.de

Erowa AG

29

www.erowa.com

Alphabetical index Advanced Metalworking Practices, LLC................. 19

Ecrimesa ................................................................. 48

Advanced Technology & Materials Co., Ltd. ......... 36

Elnik Systems ........................................................... 8

American Isostatic Presses, Inc ........................... 61

Epson Atmix Corporation ...................................... 13

AMT Pte Ltd ........................................................... 09

Erowa AG ................................................................. 29

Arburg GmbH & Co. KG........................................OBC

Euro PM2021......................................................... IBC

atect corporation .................................................... 39

ExOne....................................................................... 04

BASF SE .................................................................. 15

Formnext 2021 ....................................................... 76

Centorr Vacuum Industries, Inc ............................ 58

Formnext + PM South China 2021......................... 98

Ceramics Expo 2021 .............................................. 64

Hunan Hualiu New Materials Co.,Ltd. ................... 42

CM Furnaces Inc. ................................................... 17

Indo-US MIM Tec Pvt Ltd ....................................... 47

Cremer Thermoprozessanlagen GmbH ................ 31

Isostatic Toll Services, LLC .................................... 61

Digital Metal ......................................................... 22

Jiangxi Yuean Superfine Metal Co Ltd .................. 45

®

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HIP systems & services American Isostatic Presses, Inc

61

www.aiphip.com

Cremer Thermoprozessanlagen GmbH

31

www.cremer-polyfour.de

Isostatic Toll Services, LLC

61

www.isostatictollservices.com

Powder atomisers Phoenix Scientific Industries Ltd

34

www.psiltd.co.uk

Events Ceramics Expo 2021

64

www.ceramicsexpousa.com

Euro PM2021

Advertisers’ index & buyer’s guide

Advertise with us...

Combining digital and print publishing for maximum exposure PIM International is the only business-to-business publication dedicated to reporting on the technical and commercial advances in the MIM, CIM, and sinter-based metal Additive Manufacturing industries.

Available in both digital and print formats, PIM International is the perfect platform to promote your company to a global audience.

For more information contact Jon Craxford, Advertising Sales Director Tel: +44 207 1939 749 jon@inovar-communications.com

IBC

www.europm2021.com

Formnext 2021

76

www.formnext.com

Formnext + PM South China 2021

98

www.formnext-pm.com

PM China 2021

106

www.pmexchina.com

PMCC Expo 2021

117

www.pmccexpo.com

PowderMet2021

86

www.powdermet2021.org

Kerafol GmbH & Co. KG.......................................... 07

PowderMet2021 ...................................................... 86

KRAHN Ceramics GmbH......................................... 25

Ryer Inc. .................................................................IFC

LD Metal Powders................................................... 49

Sandvik Osprey Ltd ................................................ 10

Lide Powder Material Co,.Ltd................................. 57

Shanghai Future Group ......................................... 37

Lithoz GmbH............................................................ 35

Shenzhen Elementplus Material Tech Co., Ltd .... 60

MIMplus Technologies GmbH & Co. KG................. 26

Sigmasoft® Virtual Molding ................................... 40

Nel ASA ................................................................... 16

Signature Vacuum Systems, Inc. .......................... 28

Ningbo Hiper Vacuum Technology Co Ltd ............. 33

TAV Vacuum Furnaces SpA .................................... 54

OECHSLER AG ........................................................ 41

Tekna ....................................................................... 06

Orton Ceramics ...................................................... 53

Tisoma GmbH ......................................................... 43

Parmatech Corporation ......................................... 21

Ultra Fine Powder Technology ............................... 24

Phoenix Scientific Industries Ltd ........................... 34

Winkworth Machinery Ltd ...................................... 55

PM China 2021 ...................................................... 106

Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH ................................... 52

PMCC Expo 2021 .................................................. 117

Wohlers Associates................................................. 62

PolyMIM GmbH ....................................................... 27

Vol. 15 No. 1 © 2021 Inovar Communications Ltd

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Events

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Industry events If you would like to see your PIM/MIM/CIM-related event listed in this magazine and on our websites, please contact Kim Hayes, email: kim@inovar-communications.com. We welcome enquiries regarding media partnerships and are always interested to discuss opportunities to cooperate with event organisers and associations worldwide.

2021 Hannover Messe – Home of Industrial Pioneers [ONLINE EVENT] April 12-16, 2021 www.hannovermesse.de

EPMA Powder Metallurgy Summer School July 19-23, 2021 Ciudad Real, Spain www.summerschool.epma.com

PM China 2021 May 23-25, 2021 Shanghai, China www.pmexchina.com

5th Additive Manufacturing Forum Berlin 2021 [ONLINE/IN PERSON] July 21-22, 2021 Berlin, Germany www.am-forum.eu

EPHJ Trade Show June 8-11, 2021 Geneva, Switzerland www.ephj.ch AMPM2021 [ONLINE/IN PERSON] June 20-23, 2021 Orlando, Florida, USA www.ampm2021.org PowderMet2021 [ONLINE/IN PERSON] June 20-23, 2021 Orlando, Florida, USA www.powdermet2021.org Tungsten2021 [ONLINE/IN PERSON] June 20-23, 2021 Orlando, Florida, USA www.tungsten2021.org Ceramitec Conference June 22-23, 2021 Munich, Germany www.ceramitec.com PMCC&AC EXPO 2021 July 1-3, 2021 Shenzhen, China www.pmccexpo.com

Ceramics Expo 2021 August 30-September 1, 2021 Cleveland, Ohio, USA www.ceramicsexpousa.com Formnext + PM South China 2021 September 9-11, 2021 Shenzhen, China www.formnext-pm.com AMTC October 12-14, 2021 Aachen, Germany www.amtc.community/amtc/en/ RAPID + TCT September 13-15, 2021 Chicago, Illinois, USA www.rapid3devent.com Euro PM2021 [ONLINE EVENT] October 18–22, 2021 www.europm2021.com Formnext [ONLINE/IN PERSON] November 16-19, 2021 [In person] November 30-December 1, 2021 [Online] Frankfurt, Germany www.formnext.com Hagen Symposium 2021 November 25-26, 2021 Hagen, Germany www.pulvermetallurgie.com/symposium-termine/ symposium-aktuell

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