Mike Bond

Aluminum Alloy Achieves Ultimate Tensile Strength in Heat Treating

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, ALLOY FABRICATIONS NEWS, ALUMINUM PROCESSING TECHNICAL CONTENT

An aluminum alloy developed and patented five years ago has been identified as one of the strongest aluminum additive manufacturing powders commercially available.

Mike Bond, Director of Advanced Material Technology at Aeromet
Mike Bond, Director of Advanced Material Technology at Aeromet

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.

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Canadian Aerospace Manufacturer Joins Global Licensee Network for A20X™

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS

A Canadian manufacturer of aerospace systems and components recently joined the global network of foundries licensed to manufacture cast parts using the advanced A20X™ aluminum alloy.

Mike Bond, Director of A20X™ at Aeromet

Aeromet International Ltd announced that Magellan Aerospace Corporation's Haley Ontario site will be added to the global A20X™ supply chain. Developed and patented by Aeromet in the UK, A20X™ is the world’s strongest aluminum casting alloy and is used in aerospace, defense, and space applications. The unique solidification mechanism and microstructure of the A20X™ aluminum alloy produces investment and sand cast parts with class-leading mechanical properties and enhanced thermal performance. A20X™ is fully approved for aerospace with MMPDS and AMS classifications and are typically used in high strength, high-temperature applications.

 

"Demand for A20X™ castings is growing significantly as aerospace and defense customers seek to unlock the weight and cost reduction potential offered by the high strength alloy – the global supply chain is key to supporting customers around the world," said Mike Bond, Director of A20X™ at Aeromet.

Haydn Martin, Magellan’s Vice President, Business Development, Marketing, and Contracts

"Magellan is delighted to join the global network of A20X™ foundries and to be able to offer the unique benefits of A20X™ castings to its customers," said Haydn Martin, Magellan’s Vice President, Business Development, Marketing, and Contracts. "The constant challenge for aerospace engineers is to find an optimum balance between strength and weight when designing a component.  The higher strength characteristics of this alloy open up new opportunities for engineers to utilize the advantages of cast components in critical aerospace applications where, traditionally, light alloy castings have not been able to meet the requirements."

 

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British Firms Explore Heat Treatment Regimens for Alloy in Additive Manufacturing

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS

Two British firms recently announced a collaboration to establish process parameters for the use of aluminum alloy in additive manufacturing (AM), a project that will include the investigation of heat treatment regimens to deliver optimum properties in AM components for applications in multiple industries, including the aerospace sector.

Mike Bond, Aeromet

Renishaw, a global engineering technologies company based in Gloucestershire providing solutions and products for the aerospace, medical, energy and manufacturing sectors, and Worcestershire’s Aeromet International, a leading supplier of cast metal parts for the global aerospace and defense industries, recently debuted the highly refined alloy at the Paris Air Show in June. The two companies are working together to establish additive manufacturing process parameters and material properties for Aeromet’s A20X® aluminum alloy and to optimise the processing techniques for the alloy on Renishaw metal AM systems.  The results of these developments and the heat treatment research will be made available to Renishaw and Aeromet customers.

A family of high-strength aluminum alloy technologies developed and patented by Aeromet, A20X® includes the Metallic Materials Properties Development and Standardization (MMPDS) approved A205 casting alloy and AM205 powder for additive manufacturing.

Marc Saunders, Renishaw

“A20X is being rapidly adopted for additive manufacture of aero engine, airframe, space, defense and automotive parts.  It’s unique combination of high strength, high ductility and performance at high operating temperatures make it ideal for light-weight, stressed components.  We look forward to making processing techniques for this innovative alloy more widely available to accelerate its adoption,” said Mike Bond, Director of AMT a Division of Aeromet.

“Renishaw’s metal AM systems feature high-power lasers, an inert processing environment, and open parameters,” said Marc Saunders, Director of Global Solutions Centres at Renishaw, “making them ideal for supporting innovative new materials like A20X.  We are working closely with Aeromet to qualify this exciting new alloy on our machines. Through our network of AM Solutions Centres, we can help manufacturers to develop industrial AM processes using A20X.”

The two companies plan to release processing techniques and material properties information in the coming months.

Photo Credit: Aeromet/Monty Rakusen

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