Desktop Metal and Uniformity Labs today unveiled a partnership to qualify and deliver ultra-low porosity binder jetting powders that exhibit exceptional sintered part density and mechanical properties paired with Desktop Metal’s AM 2.0 binder jetting solutions.
Led by a team of world-leading materials scientists and 3D printing innovators, Uniformity Labs has developed patented materials technology that uniquely enables powders with tap densities up to 85 percent that sinter to full density and are significantly more flowable than powders of comparable size.
These materials are unlike any other in their ability to repeatably spread uniformly across the print bed at the highest relative density, thereby delivering the highest attainable sintered part density with the lowest achievable part shrink in binder jetting. The result is extraordinarily high precision parts exhibiting excellent material properties and surface finish.
The goal of the partnership is to leverage Desktop Metal’s high-speed binder jetting systems and processes with Uniformity Labs’ innovative capabilities in metal powder processing to create industry-leading, integrated solutions that make it easier for businesses to adopt binder jetting to produce end-use metal parts at scale.The collaboration is focused on qualifying optimized binder jetting powders exclusively for Desktop Metal solutions, including the Production System™, Shop System and ExOne print platforms. Together, the companies are studying powder and binder interactions and will release print profiles with fully characterized mechanical properties for various materials, including stainless steels, nickel-based superalloys, and reactive metals such as aluminum.
To accelerate materials qualification and enhance collaboration between the companies, Uniformity Labs has installed several Desktop Metal systems at its facilities in Fremont, Calif., including a Shop System and a Production System P-1. The partnership has already resulted in the qualification of several high-performance, engineered powders for Desktop Metal’s Shop System, which are commercially available to customers exclusively through Desktop Metal as part of its turnkey Shop System solution. Uniformity Labs topologically engineered powders for Desktop Metal’s Production System and ExOne platforms will be available directly through Uniformity Labs.
Uniformity Labs and Desktop Metal also previously announced a dedicated multi-year effort to develop aluminum 6061 for binder jetting that has produced a breakthrough unadulterated powder that sinters to better than wrought yield strength and ultimate tensile strength with excellent elongation. The companies plan to continue to work together to qualify the aluminum 6061 powder on Desktop Metal’s Production System platform and scale production for commercial release.
“We are excited to unveil this strategic partnership with Uniformity Labs, which is pioneering materials solutions that will advance the AM industry,” said Ric Fulop, founder and CEO of Desktop Metal. “Binder jetting powders processed with Uniformity Labs technology enable unmatched mechanical properties and can further improve the economics of printing. We look forward to collaborating with the Uniformity Labs team to optimize binder jetting powders exclusively for Desktop Metal’s AM 2.0 solutions and provide our customers with integrated offerings including hardware, software, and materials that enable robust adoption of AM for mass production.”
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