NanoSteel creates its first powders for 3D printing

nano-steel-binder-let-machineRhode Island-based NanoSteel has made available its first powders for 3D printing/additive manufacturing. NanoSteel made available of its BLDRmetal J-10 and  BLDRmetal J-11, which can be used to build components for “highly abrasive manufacturing.” Both J-10 and J-11 offer extreme wear endurance that is much more than “equivalently infiltrated 420 stainless steel.” To put this into layman’s terms, these metal powers are stronger than some of the strongest stainless steel.

General Manager and Vice President of Engineered Powders at NanoSteel Harald Lemke summarizes the new BLDRmetals contributions to manufacturing for the oil and gas, tool and die, and energy industries for applications such as molds, dies, and drilling and pump components. Lemke explains: “The first BLDRmetal powders offer compelling alternatives to existing materials for the binder jet printing process. The company’s entry into the market enhances the applicability of binder jet printing by enabling the manufacturing of high-complexity, lower cost components with exceptional wear performance.”

According to the company website, binder jetting is a form of additive manufacturing that uses a powder bed process. A binder selectively prints a part “by adhesively joining the metal particles.” Once the jetting process is accomplished, “the green part is sintered and an infiltrant, bronze, is melted and drawn into the part to create a dense component.”

These new metal powders for binder jetting are NanoSteel’s first in a planned portfolio that will include products for every kind of metal 3D printing process. The company has already had 400 patents granted worldwide for an array of materials that include sheet steel and coatings — along with its powders.

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