Equispheres releases metal Additive Manufacturing whitepaper
October 29, 2020
Equispheres, a materials science company based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, has released a whitepaper titled The Problem With Additive Metal Manufacturing, which details results from ongoing studies regarding the importance of feedstock powder properties with respect to AM mechanical performance and speed of production.
The whitepaper outlines nine measurable factors that directly influence metal Additive Manufacturing speed, part strength, reliability, consistency and overall end-part quality. Data points are said to be provided for all variables for comparison.
“The Additive Manufacturing industry has long understood that certain bulk characteristics of the feedstock powder such as flowability and packing density have an impact on the mechanical performance of the printed part,” stated Doug Brouse, VP of Strategic Partnerships at Equispheres.
“But what has not been clear is how much these bulk features matter, and precisely what specific powder particle properties are required to achieve them. Our powder and testing results provide much-needed clarity and remove much of this mystery.”
Dr Martin Conlon, Chief Technology Officer at Equispheres, commented, “The properties of the individual powder particles are the key to success, and a highly controlled atomisation process is mandatory to achieve the desired results.”
Dr Conlon continued, “Chaotic gas atomisation simply cannot deliver the quality feedstock necessary for superior print performance and speed that is being demanded by the industry.”
Kevin Nicholds, president and CEO of Equispheres, reported, “We did the research, we have already achieved incredibly high-performance results, and we’re already in production. And while everyone else is playing catch-up, we hope to help bring about a new era in Additive Manufacturing.”
The whitepaper is available to download here.
