Mimete begins metal powder production at its Italian facility
May 7, 2019
Mimete S.r.l., Osnago, Italy, a division of the Fomas Group, Osnago, Italy, has started to produce metal powders from its new and customised VIGA (vacuum inert gas atomisation) facility. Mimete’s manufacturing plant has been specifically designed by Fomas to serve the Additive Manufacturing market and will target various sectors, primarily biomedical, power generation, aerospace and racing.
According to Mimete, the first atomisation process was monitored through an advanced production management system and the alloy chosen for the first batch of powder was 316L. Production of In625 and F75 is currently ongoing. The company stated that it then analysed the powders at the in-house laboratory, which will it expects to be accredited to EN ISO IEC 17025 in the near future. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of the powder produced reportedly showed a morphology that was spherical and homogeneous, and the measured flowability also met the targets set.
Maria Guzzoni, Mimete Strategy & Special Projects Coordinator, stated, “We were all very excited to be together for the first atomisation. It was not about scoring the best result, but it was more about getting to the end of the cycle – the starting point for future challenges and improvements. We studied a lot and we were well prepared for all scenarios, but we were aware that moving from theory to reality always implies a certain level of uncertainty. We were incredibly moved to finally see the successful results of all the hard work and the commitment we went through last year.”