binder jetting

Will In-House Heat Treaters 3D Print the “Cutting Edge”?

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT TECH, Manufacturing Heat Treat Technical Content, SINTERING POWDER/METAL TECHNICAL CONTENT

If you are one of many heat treat professionals watching AM take over the industrial world with bated breath, it may be time to stop watching and start doing. This article highlights the rapid rise of AM and how changes in your heat treat operations may be needed.

This informative piece was first released in Heat Treat Today’s August 2025 Automotive Heat Treating print edition.

For manufacturers who produce customized or complex parts and components for the medical, aerospace, automotive, and other industries, additive manufacturing (AM) with metals has the potential to bring innovation and agility to the process.

However, because AM is a somewhat nascent technology, there are still challenges to address before it is widely accepted throughout the manufacturing industry. Fortunately, as research and development continue, the aerospace and automotive industries are beginning to acknowledge that parts made via AM are robust enough for use in safety-critical applications. Manufacturers who want to use AM to gain a competitive edge are advised to zero-in on the most suitable method for metals and determine in which applications AM presents an economically viable solution.

The Additive Manufacturing Market

AM, also known as 3D printing, is the process of creating an object based on a digital file, such as a computer-aided design (CAD) or one created with a laser scanner. Unlike traditional manufacturing methods that often involve cutting or subtracting material from a solid block (like machining), AM involves building up thin layers of material — usually metal, ceramic, or plastic — one by one using a 3D printer.

AI-generated image of 3D-printed turbine engine components

AM is increasingly transforming the manufacturing industry, enabling faster prototyping, customized production, lightweight parts, and complex shapes and geometries that would be impossible to manufacture using conventional casting, machining, or subtractive techniques, such as milling, grinding, carving or shaping.

For product design, prototyping, and reverse engineering applications, AM allows designers to rapidly print parts as a single piece, reducing material waste, saving time, and reducing costs, all while getting new products to market faster. Although the same advantages apply to traditional manufacturing applications, manufacturers have not been as quick to adopt the technology.

Still, the AM industry is seeing growth. A recent report from Grand View Research states that the global AM market size was valued at over $20 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 23.3% from 2023 to 2030, with unit shipments of 3D printers expected to reach 21.5 million units by 2030 thanks to a growing demand for prototyping applications in the healthcare, automotive, aerospace, and defense industries. The report also acknowledges that rigorous R&D in 3D printing will further contribute to growth.

Additive Manufacturing Techniques for Metals

Currently, three primary techniques are used for AM with metals: laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), directed energy deposition (DED), and binder jetting.

LPBF

LPBF technologies, including direct metal laser sintering, selective laser sintering, and direct metal printing, use a laser to sinter or fuse powdered metal particles until a complete part if formed. LPBF processes typically include heating the bed of powdered metal to a consistent temperature. The printer begins applying the first layer over a build plate, fuses the powder particles together with a high-powered laser, and then continues the process layer-by-layer until the part is finished.

After the part is printed using LPBF, it is removed from the powder bed, cut away from the build plate, heat treated to prevent internal stresses, and finally machined or polished to achieve the desired surface finish.

LPBF is limited by the size of the print bed, so it is not suitable for manufacturing large components or parts.

DED

DED using powdered metals also relies on a laser to produce metal parts. However, rather than spreading powder on a bed, the DED machine blows powdered metal out of the print head and uses a laser to fuse the part during construction.

DED-manufactured parts require post-processing heat treatment and machining steps. And while DED is a faster process than LPBF, there are a limited number of materials that can be used in the DED process, and the technique still needs more research and development before it sees widespread commercial use.

Binder Jetting

Binder jetting deposits a layer of loose metal followed by a layer of binder material layer by layer to create the product. During the process, a binder jetting machine distributes metal powder over the print bed to form an unbound layer. A jetting head then spreads a binder to adhere the powder. The machine continues to spread alternate layers of building material and binder to form a complete product. Sintering is generally required after printing to remove the binder, resulting in a part that is composed entirely of metal.

While binder jetting is a fast process and offers the opportunity to create and sinter parts in batches, it is currently a more expensive option. However, research and development into this technology, the availability of binder jets from companies (e.g., Markforged and HP), and the potential to use binder jetting for high-volume batch production may eventually make binder jetting the technology of choice for metal AM.

Post-Processing Heat Treatment for AM Parts

No matter the print technique, some AM-printed metal parts will require post-process heat treatment in which the printed part is subjected to specific temperatures and durations and then cooled to enhance or customize the properties of the metal material and optimize performance and reliability of the part.

Applying controlled heating and cooling cycles during post-printing heat treatment eliminates internal stresses created during the AM process to prevent distortion, cracking, and warping that would negatively impact part performance and reliability. Heat treating can also be used to increase hardness, density, strength, and fatigue resistance to optimize performance of the part. Furthermore, heat treating can be applied to customize the mechanical properties of the final part and provide specific characteristics so that it performs reliably in the intended application.

The type of heat treatment used following AM will depend upon the printing technique, metal material, and desired characteristics and properties. Annealing, sintering, normalizing, quenching, and tempering are commonly used. Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) — another post-process option that is used to reduce porosity and improve the density, performance, and reliability of AM-printed parts — will be specifically addressed in a subsequent article release.

Greater Acceptance in Industry Sectors

Metal alloy 3-D printed components

While AM has been widely used for prototyping and reverse engineering, adoption of the technology has been slower for the manufacture of finished parts and components. Stephen Feldbauer, director of Research and Development, with Abbott Furnace Co., suggests that the right approach to AM with metals depends upon the ability of manufacturers to refine their application. “Manufacturers should not take the ‘shotgun’ approach of ‘I can print anything,’” comments Feldbauer. “Instead, they should focus on what makes the most sense for them and specialize in those parts rather than just printing something because it’s possible.

However, because it provides significant benefits, AM does have application in the several manufacturing sectors. Advantages in using AM to produce parts include minimization of waste, time and cost efficiency, and the ability to customize parts for single-use applications or low-volume production runs.

Thanks to these benefits, AM is currently being used in the following industries:

  • Aerospace: functional parts, such as engine turbine blades and fuel systems 
  • Automotive: various components, such as suspension systems, engine parts, and door panels
  • Defense: obsolete parts, as well as vehicle and weapon components
  • Medical: implants, prosthetics, and other apparatuses

And, as AM technology continues to expand, it is becoming more widely accepted and is most notably being employed to create safety-critical aerospace and automobile parts. For example, General Motors (GM) announced that it is using AM-printed seatbelt pillar adjustable guide loops in its all-electric Cadillac Celestiq, making them GM’s first safety-related AM-printed metal part. 

The component is made by Azoth using Markforged metal binder jetting technology with a liquid binding agent. Following the process, the metal parts are then sintered, polished, and plated. Automotive sector acceptance of additive manufactured safety-critical parts is a tremendous boon for the AM industry.

Experts like Feldbauer see the need for manufacturers to make a few key decisions for this technology to become a reality. “For additive manufacturing to be a commercially viable solution,” he argues, “manufacturers must determine which parts they can 3D print with high levels of success and where printing is cost effective and profitable. Commercial viability is really the determining factor as to whether a part should be 3D printed or made using conventional manufacturing techniques.”

Currently, though, AM seems to be benefiting smaller jobs. According to Feldbauer, AM usually makes the most sense for small runs where there is a need for customized tooling; in these cases, manufacturers run into too complex of shapes or simply to time or cost intensive.

The Future of AM

While AM is increasingly accepted as a beneficial process across many industries, it still faces challenges affecting its usage more broadly, such as material restrictions, bed or plate sizes for techniques that rely on bed printing, and the need to purchase high-end printers from a market that is constantly consolidating. Research and development into the process, more diversity in technologies, increased availability of AM outsourcing companies, and the benefits associated with cost, time, and material reductions are expected to be a driving force in widespread commercial adoption.

Stephen Feldbauer, director of Research and Development with Abbott Furnace Co., updated Heat Treat Today on the state of AM in 2025

As the technology continues to mature, AM will continue to expand into industries where the availability of high-volume AM production, such as is possible with binder jetting, would reduce the cost of part manufacturing. Additionally, optimizing post-process heat treatment methods will help further enhance the cost effectiveness of AM with metals and enable more customized characteristics. These advances could make AM an attractive and economical option for manufacturers, so those who want a competitive edge should begin to focus and refine application of AM to the parts for which it will be most worthwhile.

References

Grand View Research. 2022.  Additive Manufacturing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Component, by Printer Type, by Technology, by Software, by Application, by Vertical, by Material, by Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2024 – 2030. April 2022. Grandview Research. Report ID: GVR-4-68039-922-9. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/additive-manufacturing-market#

Check out our AM/3D Trivia to test your knowledge of the AM/3D industry, the processes, and the technology.

This editorial was written by the Heat Treat Today Editorial Team.

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Water Electrolysis for Hydrogen Production Facilitates Decarbonization

/ ANNEALING TECHNICAL CONTENT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT TECHNICAL CONTENT, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT TECHNICAL, SINTERING POWDER/METAL TECHNICAL CONTENT

The thermal processing industry is a good example of how the on-site production of hydrogen by water electrolysis can be beneficial for many of its processes and for reducing the CO2 of its plants. In today’s Technical Tuesday, David Wolff, industrial sales director at Nel Hydrogen, discusses how, from plasma spray to metal AM binder jet to annealing at rolling mills, industries across medical, automotive, and beyond are looking to water electrolysis for hydrogen production.

This informative piece was first released in Heat Treat Today’s December 2024 Medical & Energy Heat Treat print edition.

Hydrogen atmospheres are widely used in high temperature thermal processing, including annealing, brazing, PM, MIM, and binder jet AM sintering, metal-to-glass sealing, and related processes such as thermal spray. Hydrogen helps heat treaters achieve acceptable product characteristics. It’s used as a very powerful reducing agent, and it actively cleans surfaces as compared to inert gas atmospheres which only displace oxygen.

Relative to hydrogen’s use in helping plants decarbonize, it’s a fact that major OEMs buying heat treating services and heat treated products are demanding that their suppliers report their decarbonization progress. To meet the needs, hydrogen generation is becoming ever more compelling to heat treaters to ensure hydrogen for atmosphere needs inside the plant, and to help minimize their carbon footprint.

The Clean Energy Supply Conundrum

Most U.S. heat treating facilities get their atmosphere components delivered by truck. The truck emits CO2 and the hydrogen on that truck is likely “gray” hydrogen made from natural gas. Hence, the carbon footprint from their hydrogen use is notable. Importantly, the electricity grid operators are actively seeking ways to enhance the business success of providers of low carbon electricity. The key issue with those providers — solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear — is that they cannot easily follow the ups and downs of demand. Instead, consumers get electricity from those resources when the wind is blowing, the sun is shining, or the river is high. In the case of nuclear plants, they preferentially run at near fixed output, day and night. They run continuously regardless of demand. As the grid demand is very low at night, they get very low prices for the electricity they generate. They only make money for 12 or so hours a day. That’s why a lot of nuclear plants are threatening shutting down for economic reasons.

Taking Advantage of Low Demand Period Energy Prices for Use During High Demand Hours

Consider this scenario: What if a client with electrolysis capacity to produce hydrogen, such as a heat treater, could buy electricity at lower nighttime prices to make the hydrogen it needs during the day shift for its various processes, perhaps even heating their furnaces? The clean energy provider would be pleased to have more income during its low demand, low price times. The heat treat plant is happy saving money buying decarbonized electricity at low demand prices to make clean hydrogen for its various thermal processes and to operate its furnaces. And, the heat treat company’s OEM clients demanding decarbonization are satisfied, too.

How To Get Started

The scenario described above is a practical and real one for the heat treat industry today. Nel Hydrogen recommends that a heat treat company begin with a plan. That plan may comprise several phases. It’s important to seek out a knowledgeable hydrogen partner in this endeavor to specify exactly what’s needed. For heat treat applications, users generally would want compact equipment, extreme hydrogen purity, load following, near-instant on and instant off, and sufficient hydrogen pressure that make it flexibly suited for a variety of thermal processes, and for hydrogen storage addition at a later time if desired.

Figure 1. Compact hydrogen generators using water electrolysis for thermal processing applications (Source: Nel Hydrogen)

Both batch and continuous processes can be served. Batch processes may benefit from a small amount of surge storage at the outset. By combining on-site hydrogen generation with a small amount of in process hydrogen surge storage if needed, on-site hydrogen generation can be used to meet the needs of batch processes such as batch furnaces and thermal spray. By carefully choosing generation rate and pressure, and surge storage vessel volume and pressure capacity, the combination of generation with surge storage can provide maximum process flexibility while minimizing the amount of hydrogen actually stored.

The presence of a small amount of hydrogen surge storage also protects clients’ parts in case of an electric interruption that stops hydrogen production. The surge storage hydrogen can protect the parts while they cool under a reducing atmosphere.

In practice, specific client priorities such as minimum hydrogen storage, or lowest system capital cost, or highest degree of expandability, or least amount of space occupied, can be met by choosing the specific hydrogen generator capacity and surge storage system employed for any particular production challenge.

Examples of Thermal Processors Producing Hydrogen On Site with Water Electrolysis

Decarbonization will be a near-future requirement as part of the global effort to evolve towards a cleaner, greener world. On-site hydrogen generation in industry makes great sense to align with those initiatives. Right now, the thermal processing industry is experiencing the benefits of producing hydrogen on site for its production processes, and the decarbonization demand will be easier to accommodate with that infrastructure in place.

Here are a few examples of companies performing a variety of thermal processes that have made the decision to use water electrolysis to produce hydrogen on site:

Plasma Spray of Cast Iron Cylinder Liners

One of the most compelling examples has been implemented by two different U.S. automakers to accommodate the increasing use of low-weight aluminum engine blocks in today’s high efficiency vehicles. Aluminum blocks must have a cast iron lining on the inside of the cylinder bore to maximize the durability of the engine. (Older readers may recall the notorious Chevy Vega that used an aluminum engine without a cast iron liner. The author’s wife had one Vega which burned through three engines!)

Figure 2. Plasma torch used to spray-apply metal coatings in additive manufacturing processes (Source: Shutterstock)

The traditional approach to provide a cast iron liner was to drive a sleeve into the aluminum engine block. However, a new technology has been commercialized by which the cast iron liner is spray-applied using a plasma torch. The torch uses hydrogen and argon gases to add energy and maintain the necessary low oxygen atmosphere. The plasma spray was a new addition to engine production facilities that had not previously been equipped with hydrogen supply and thus elected to generate their own to minimize delivered hydrogen and avoid the need for hydrogen inventory and extensive supply piping.

The electrolyzers recommended for plasma spray applications are compact and produce high purity hydrogen of better than UHP grade at 200+ psig pressure, with less hydrogen stored than would fill a party balloon bouquet. About the size of a washing machine or refrigerator, depending on the model, each unit is low maintenance, compact, quiet, and can be installed nearly anywhere in a facility.

Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) Binder Jet

One of the most exciting approaches to metal AM is the technology called binder jet, which creates a near net shape part using polymer and wax binders to adhere metal powders. After the part is formed, the binders are chemically or thermally removed. Then the part is sintered to attain near net shape and full part density. Hydrogen is required for the sintering atmosphere to prevent oxidation of the part during the sintering process. Binder jet technology promises to provide for mass production of individually customized parts at high production rates and consequently lower costs than parts produced individually.

Figure 3. Binder jet metal AM parts sintered in a hydrogen atmosphere (Source: Shuttershock)

Many new metal AM production facilities are being established in factories that are not already equipped for the delivery, storage, and internal piping/distribution of hydrogen. As such, many have chosen instead to use zero inventory hydrogen made on site to minimize infrastructure investments. Electrolyzers for small-scale applications requiring up to 230 scf/hr of hydrogen gas at 99.999+ % purity are advised for metal AM. About the size of a large refrigerator, the units require minimal facility floor space, are easy to maintain, and can be installed in any non-classified space. Applications for AM include medical, electronics, industrial, and automotive components.

Annealing at Rolling Mills

Plate and strip metal are processed in rolling mills where the thickness of the metal is reduced by alternating “cold” rolling steps followed by intermediary hot annealing steps. Cold rolling makes the metal more brittle, so it is necessary to have an annealing step following each rolling step. The metal is alternately thinned and then softened for what could be several iterations. Hydrogen is required for the annealing steps to maintain metal surface quality while heated. Because of the periodic market disruptions in delivered hydrogen from plant outages or trucking interruptions, several rolling mills have chosen to generate hydrogen on site to augment or entirely replace their delivered hydrogen supply. The benefits that the plants experience are primarily focused on supply reliability. Of course, they are also eliminating the carbon footprint associated with truck delivery. In this case, the carbon footprint of the generated hydrogen is determined by the particular electricity generating mix that serves the plant site.

Most often at rolling mills, electrolyzers that produce up to 1,140 scf of hydrogen gas at 99.999+ % purity are best suited for the hydrogen requirement. These units replace the need for hydrogen tube trailers or liquid hydrogen storage. They can be installed in the mill or can be containerized outdoors, offering flexible siting and reduced operational safety risks compared to delivered hydrogen.

Figure 4. Steel rolls are heated in an annealing step to soften the metal during production. (Source: Istock)

On Track Towards Decarbonization

Described in the examples above, once the means to generate hydrogen is chosen at a thermal processing facility, the company can move further along the decarbonization journey. This may be to apply a strategy as outlined in the electricity scenario whereby the company takes advantage of low demand rates or institutes an alternative creative idea. Certainly, as more and more clients demand proof that suppliers are reducing their carbon footprint, more strategies will be developed and implemented to serve the thermal processing industry. Simply generating hydrogen on site removes the trucking emissions factor and is a beneficial and practical starting point.

About the Author:

David Wolff
Eastern Regional Sales Manager
Nel Hydrogen

David Wolff has 45 years of project engineering, industrial gas generation and application engineering, marketing and sales experience. He has been at Nel Hydrogen for over 25 years as a sales and marketing leader for hydrogen generation technologies.

For more information: Nel Hydrogen at sales@nelhydrogen.com. 

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The Role of Heat Treat in Binder Jetting AM for Metals

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, SINTERING POWDER/METAL TECHNICAL CONTENT
OC

Additive manufacturing (AM) at a commercial scale began about 30 years ago and has expanded well beyond its original scope. As AM becomes increasingly prominent across different industries, heat treaters need to know how to handle AM parts in their shops. Learn about the history of binder jetting AM, the alloys used in this technology that require heat treatment, and what heat treaters should expect for the future.

Read why Animesh Bose of Desktop Metal thinks that binder jetting AM is only going to be used more and more in several heat treating sectors.

This article first appeared in Heat Treat Today’s December 2022 Annual Medical and Energy print edition.

Binder Jetting of Metals: Origins

Animesh Bose
Vice President of Research & Development
Desktop Metal
Source: LinkedIn

Additive manufacturing (AM) at a commercial scale began about 30 years ago and has expanded well beyond its original scope. At the beginning, rapid prototyping (RP) was the name for the burgeoning technology; it emerged in the 1990s to bridge the gap between the need for quickly produced prototypes for manufacturers, not just plastic replicas. Rapid tooling (RT) of metal tooling parts joined RP R&D at this time as the research frontier for materials engineers. The current name for these technologies stands at “additive manufacturing,” or AM, though the popular terminology is simply “3D printing.”

Polymers

Developments in polymer AM also advanced rapidly with both extrusion-based technology as well as through advancements in Digital Light Processing of photopolymers. Stratasys Ltd., an American-Israeli manufacturer of 3D printers, software, and materials for polymer additive manufacturing as well as 3D-printed parts on-demand, began using a material extrusion-based process with their FFF (fused filament fabrication) technology to print parts, patented in 1989. This worked by feeding coils of polymeric materials though a printer, which would extrude the material through a small, heated chamber where the material would pass through a small orifice to extrude – or print – in a three dimensional design. This method allowed for very fine, hair-like material to print in a precise X ,Y, and Z motion, building layer by layer. Vat polymerization was another polymer AM technology that gained traction and involved photopolymer processing. Both technologies are currently used for polymeric materials. Interestingly, both processes have been adapted and are being used for metal 3D printing.

Metal AM

In 1993, an MIT engineering professor named Emanuel “Ely” M. Sachs – a man who could be considered the father of metal binder jetting technique – along with his colleagues from MIT patented the process of laying fluent, porous materials in layers between 50- to 100-micron thickness to form 3D parts. They were able to do this by spraying an organic binder on each layer of material where they wanted to increase the height of the part to produce a bonded layer in the selected area. This layering is repeated several times before the unbonded powder is removed immediately or after further processing.

One of the biggest advancements in metal AM happened in 2014 when GE Aviation combined multiple parts into one huge, complex design using a laser-based additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting. The end result was an airplane fuel nozzle made of 20 parts for the LEAP™ engine. All of AM came into the limelight, and direct metal laser melting – a melt-based technology – just took off.

But there were limitations to this laser process, the main one being cost and special powder requirements to layer and melt to form the part. The process was also technologically intensive and not fast enough for high volume production (as would be necessary for automotive or consumer good-type application).

Binder Jetting Technology

Binder jetting that had been developing in the early 2000s started to gain traction as a non-melt-based process for high volume mass production. Instead of melting the powder material, a binder is used to adhere the powder metal layers where needed. This method of printing results in a more uniform final part microstructure compared to the melt-based processes. ExOne, a binder jet 3D printing company, pursued the binder jetting technology using a license from MIT. In 2015, Desktop Metal was formed, and they focused on high volume mass production by binder jet using their Single Pass Jetting (SPJ™) technology. As binder jet gained traction, other companies entered the market (HP, GE, and Digital Metal). Desktop Metal recently acquired ExOne and efforts at developing standards for the technology are in full swing.

Heat Treating of AM Metals

Stainless Steels

There are two popular types of stainless steel for AM. The first is 17-4 PH, a precipitation-hardened stainless steel, which I like to call an “all purpose” stainless steel. When heat treated, one can achieve varying levels of strength, hardness, and elongation; and since it’s stainless steel it has a reasonable corrosion resistance. The aging treatments are already well-established – for example, H900, H1100, etc. The other popular grade is 316L, a non-heat treatable grade used in the food industry among others. Now, most stainless steels have chromium and nickel in decent amounts, so companies have developed a grade which is called “nickel-free stainless steel” for applications where people might be allergic to nickel. This class of alloy is also heat treatable. There are many more stainless steel grades that are being developed by the binder jet process.

Low Alloy Steels

Many low alloy steels are used in AM. For example, 4140 and 4340 have various, small amounts of alloying elements. These low alloy steels also need to be heat treated.

Tool Steels

Again, most tool steels are heat treatable. One of the most popular grades is H13; it is a tool steel that is heat treatable and can achieve fairly high hardness. It’s used for dies and other types of tooling.

Then, there is a category of tool steels known as A2 and D2; those are steels in which the strength can be changed through heat treatment.

Metal Alloys with Binder Jetting

There are also non-steel alloys that are used in binder jetting and require heat treatment. One example is nickel-based alloys, which fall in the broad category of super alloys. With some of these alloys, a heat treater would solutionize the part by taking it to a high temperature (950-1000°C), hold it for 60 minutes, and then quench in water, high pressure gas, or (in some instances) in air. The part then undergoes an aging treatment for several hours, depending on part thickness.

Additionally, there is a class of copper alloys with small amounts of zirconium and chromium that is heat treatable. These alloys have lower thermal and electrical conductivity compared to pure copper but have an advantage of higher strength and hardness over pure copper, which is very soft and malleable. For example, in applications that require additional strength and hardness compared to copper, the copper zirconium-chromium-based alloys may be appropriate since their strength and hardness can be increased by heat treatment.

This is just an introduction to the many alloys that have been used in binder jetting that need heat treatment.

Future of Binder Jet and Heat Treat

While heat treaters know about AM in the medical and aerospace industries, AM will likely gain more traction in the automotive industry. Presently, these are relatively small parts, but you will begin to see larger components coming from AM; one of the things to be aware of is that AM can create organic shapes, including all kinds of twisted and complex metal geometries. To ensure that these organic shapes do not distort or droop, larger parts must be well-supported. The development of a software known as Live Sinter™ by Desktop Metal offers the possibility of negatively distorting a complex shaped part (in the green state) so that after sintering, the part shrinks and distorts to eventually provide the desired complex shape at the end. This allows for the possibility of sintering parts either with minimal or without any support structures.

Heat treaters can also anticipate high volume AM production. This is one of the major focuses for binder jet engineers – to reduce costs for most automotive parts – as it will make AM very appealing to this cost-conscious industry.

Finally, optimizing sintering processes and related equipment for AM parts will result in meeting the production demands of the industry, and this will lead to AM parts being seen in heat treat shops more regularly. It would not be a stretch to consider (since there are heat treatments where gas atmosphere quenching at high pressures is possible), that the complete heat treatment cycle may be performed in the same furnace.

About the Author: Animesh Bose is the vice president of Research & Development at Desktop Metal, where he is responsible for building out the company’s palette of materials that can be used to print quality parts. He has been involved in the area of powder metallurgy and particulate materials (PM) for more than thirty years.

For more information: Contact Animesh at animeshbose53@gmail.com

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Sintering and Binder Jetting With Vacuum Furnaces

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Source: TAV Vacuum Furnaces

Ever heard of binder jetting (BJT)? It's an evolving technology that is quickly catching up to metal injection molding (MIM). Compared to MIM, BJT has a lower cost per part rate, produces larger parts, and, because BJT is a cold process, it does not introduce residual stress inside the part.

Even though BJT is a cold process, sintering is a key step in BJT. Read this best of the web article to learn the ins-and-outs of sintering with binder jetting.

An excerpt:

"Vacuum sintering furnaces are usually the go-to choice for sintering of [binder jetting] parts, thanks to the ability to provide bright and shiny sintered parts, the tight process parameters control and the possibility to work with different debinding and sintering atmospheres."

Read more at "Binder Jetting and Vacuum Furnaces: Everything You Need To Know"

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