OTTAWA, ONTARIO: High technology company TRUMPF is working with Equispheres Inc. to qualify its aluminum additive manufacturing powders on TRUMPF 3D printers. Equispheres offers three lines of AlSiMg10 powders optimized for laser powder-bed fusion manufacturing systems. TRUMPF reports positive initial results using Equispheres powders and expects to complete the qualification process early next year.
“TRUMPF’s engineering team is working to determine the optimum parameters for faster production of aluminum parts with Equispheres’ powders. This will allow customers to reduce production costs for 3D printed parts and opens the door for more broad adoption of additive production in global manufacturing,” explains Thomas Bloor, head of global business development for Equispheres.
Once the qualification process is complete for Equispheres powders, the company will be recognized as one of TRUMPF’s recommended powder suppliers and the materials will be supported by applications engineers at both Equispheres and TRUMPF.
“Equispheres’ powders have the potential to support faster build rates than some other aluminum feedstocks. To help our 3D printing customers reduce part costs and make the move into mass production, we are developing optimized processing parameters for Equispheres’ high-quality metal powders,” says Severin Luzius, Head of Application, Materials and Consulting AM at TRUMPF.
TRUMPF is a pioneer in metal additive manufacturing. Its TruPrint additive manufacturing systems deliver high standards of quality and productivity at attractive part costs. In this collaboration, Equispheres contributes its knowledge of powder metallurgy and applications engineering expertise related to the specific characteristics of its aluminum powders.
“This will be a significant step forward for our material. For part manufacturers to receive the maximum benefit from our superior feedstock, processing parameters must be adjusted,” says Bloor. “TRUMPF’s qualification work will give users of TRUMPF equipment a productivity and cost advantage when using Equispheres aluminum powders.”
In 2021, Equispheres brought online additional high-speed commercial reactors to produce its proprietary, patent-pending, spherical aluminum powders. The company is working with partners in the automotive, aerospace and defense sectors to qualify its materials for industrial applications. Third-party testing has demonstrated Equispheres’ high-performance aluminum powders can print three to five times faster than traditional powders and achieve part cost reductions of 50%, enabling metal 3D printing to compete economically with traditional manufacturing processes.
Both Equispheres and TRUMPF are exhibiting at Formnext in Frankfurt, Nov. 16-19, 2021.
About Equispheres:
Equispheres is a materials science technology company specializing in high-performance metal powders for additive manufacturing in the automotive, aerospace, and defense industries. We focus on developing innovative, clean-tech solutions to help solve advanced manufacturing challenges with our deep knowledge of metallurgy and its application to additive manufacturing.
Images are available for download on the Equispheres press page.
About TRUMPF:
A global high-technology company, TRUMPF is a pioneer in additive manufacturing technology. It produces robust and reliable laser 3D printers, as well as highly productive laser processing machines for industrial series production. For additive manufacturing, TRUMPF provides solutions in both laser metal fusion (LMF) and laser metal deposition (LMD). Contributing to the industrialization of 3D metal printing, TRUMPF offers a complete solution comprising digitalization, services, and additive production systems.
In 2020/21 the company – which has about 14,700 employees – achieved sales of 3.5 billion euros. With over 70 subsidiaries, the TRUMPF Group is represented in nearly all the countries of Europe, North and South America, and Asia. It has production facilities in Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic, the USA, Mexico, China and Japan.
For more information about TRUMPF go to www.trumpf.com. Images are available for download from the TRUMPF media pool.
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