Is precision components manufacturing ready for 3D printing? (Part one)

Jul 30, 2018

The topic of metal's 3D additive laser printing often appears in the news. Hence, you may want to know like what time will Metal Cutting Corporation speak of laser printing? After all, other various methods of making metal parts was often talked about.

The parts we manufacture are very small during metal cutting, for our sample here usually with specification which are 1 mm (0.039 inch) by 2 mm (0.079 inch), and we manufacture many of them. These components are typically short of many complex features or internal voids. They might be pipes or they may be solid.

Then, we wonder whether 3D laser printing experts can produce such a large number of such small metal parts by using 3D laser printing?

Basic methods of metal 3D laser printing
First, let's take a quick look at the three main methods of metal 3D additive laser printing.

Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS)
The most popular method essentially melts the 2D design onto a flat powder bed, fusing the powder and then adding layer by layer to build the object. The DMLS allows designs that have hitherto been impossible. However, the process is very slow and the resulting metallurgical technology is close but not the same as in traditional manufacturing. DMLS can be also called selective laser sintering (SLS) or selective laser melting (SLM).

Directed Energy Deposition (DED)
In this method of feeding power, a high-concentrated metal powder stream is slowly released through an extruder and is melts when it meets a laser, forming layers on the part’s surface. DED is very precise for metal’s 3D laser printing and is also used to repair split parts. This method is called laser metal deposition (LMD).

Metal Binder Jetting
This method is to sprinkle liquid binding resin onto the powdered metal material. Actually, the layers are "glued" together and then sintered in a high temperature kiln. This process is faster and cheaper than the other two methods. Nevertheless, the results are far from as strong or dense as the results you gain with DMLS or DED.

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EKS(Xiamen)Precision Industry Co., Ltd

Address: 中国福建省厦门市集美区灌口镇深青工业园后山头29号
Phone: 86-0592-6360601
Business Type: Industry & Trading, Manufacturer,

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Source: http://www.junyingmetal.com/is-precision-components-manufacturing-ready-for-3d-printing-part-one.html