An aluminum alloy developed and patented five years ago has been identified as one of the strongest aluminum additive manufacturing powders commercially available.
Aeromet’s A20X™ surpassed the key 500 MPa UTS mark following a recent research project involving aero-engine giant Rolls-Royce and additive manufacturing equipment specialist Renishaw. Heat-treated parts produced using A20X™ Powder have achieved an Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) of 511 MPa, a Yield Strength of 440 MPa and Elongation of 13%. Crucially, parts additively manufactured with A20X™ Powder maintain high-strength and fatigue properties even at elevated temperatures, outperforming other leading aluminum powders.
“Since bringing the A20X™ alloy to market for additive manufacturing 5 years ago we have seen significant adoption for high-strength, design-critical applications,” said Mike Bond, Director of Advanced Material Technology at Aeromet. “By working with Rolls-Royce, Renishaw, and PSI, we have optimized processing parameters that led to record-breaking results, opening up new design possibilities for aerospace and advanced engineering applications.”
The HighSAP project was backed by the UK’s National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme (NATEP). A20X™ Powder for additive manufacturing is derived from the MMPDS-approved A20X™ Casting alloy, the world’s strongest aluminum casting alloy, which is in use by a global network of leading aerospace casting suppliers.
