December 2018
Elementum 3D materials picked for moon landing
Here comes Aluminum 7050
Aluminum 7050 has been utilized in many industries, especially in the aerospace sector. Similar to 2xxx and 6xxx series aluminums, 7xxx series aluminums are heat treated to develop their precipitate strengthened microstructure, thereby adding considerable strength. The alloy is known for high strength, fatigue resistance and resistance to stress corrosion cracking (SCC).
Elementum 3D has recently completed a preliminary research project to design a composition and post-processing plan for additively manufactured Al7050. The reactive RAM additions are locally activated by the laser energy during the build process to produce product phases that act as nucleants for the aluminum alloy during solidification. These nucleants produce an equiaxed grain structure to reduce columnar grain growth and eliminate hot tearing. As expected, the RAM additions solved the hot tearing and columnar grain problem. … READ MORE
Why are metal AM powders critical to quality printed parts?
In this issue of Tech Talk Ben Rafferty, Elementum 3D materials engineer, will discuss powder selection, the first and perhaps most important step in the additive manufacturing (AM) process. He’ll be covering key attributes of quality metal AM powder including size, shape (morphology), flowability, tap density, and composition. These characteristics all contribute to achieve a high quality AM part.
Most people are not aware of metals three-dimensional printing and the extent that you can print complex high performance parts. When I started my career as a material engineer, I was only aware that printing metal was an emerging option; it wasn’t until I started working with Elementum 3D that I saw how important metal powders designed specifically for additive manufacturing (AM) are to the performance of printed metal parts. Additive manufacturing involves the addition of material to produce parts directly from a computer model, as opposed to a subtractive machining process that removes material to produce a part. Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) is an industrial AM process that produces complex near net shape parts with near full theoretical density. Properties often exceed cast parts and may approach or even exceed forged/wrought parts. … READ MORE
Winter Wonderland
The Elementum 3D team lives all around the great city of Denver, but during the cooler months we live next to a “Winter Wonderland.” The magnificent snowy peaks and enchanted towns of the Rocky Mountains is a magnet that endlessly pulls many Coloradoans out to play throughout the wintery months.
Now, let’s be crystal clear, not every likes to play outside in the cold (sometimes freezing temperatures), but some of our employees are passionate about their favorite winter activities. Tony Manerbino, Materials Scientist, loves to fly high on his snowboard. Adam Polizzi, Materials Engineer, also likes to snowboard as well as climb mountains with his family. Jacob Nuechterlein, President/Founder, enjoys family time ice skating with his 3-year old daughter. Mountain-side bofires get Jared Rickaby, Operations Director, and his wife excited to hang out in the cold. Then there is Christina Haley, our adventurous project manager, she enjoys getting eaten by rarely seen Rocky Mountain snow monster. Fun stuff! We hope your winter will be filled with great fun, too!
Check out this link if you are planing to visit Colorado in the next few months. It gives you 8 ways to make your visit to Colorado this winter unforgettable.
Serial AM production — are you ready to switch on the green light?
Metal additive manufacturing (AM) has wowed the manufacturing world for over a decade and many have grand dreams on how AM will optimize part design, performance, cost and time to market. The industry is saying we are verge of serial 3D printing production, but are you ready? Does your part look like you want it to look like and consistantly perform the way you want it to perform—more importantly, have you determined what factors (i.e., materials and properties) need to be established to green light serial printing your first part?
Contact us with your thoughts on this question and we will respond to you directly.
- Masten Space Systems explains how additive manufacturing will help NASA go back to the Moon
- Additive manufacturing is breaking through—sort of
- Additive Manufacturing is driving the future of the automotive industry
- Additive experts on materials and the industrialisation of 3D printing
- Rolls-Royce Advance3 engine to “Pioneer” aerospace with 3D Printing and advanced materials
- NASCAR star Brad Keselowski wants to 3D-print the future
Meet our team and learn more about how and why we are passionate about developing superior metal-based materials and parameters for additive manufacturing.
OPEN HOUSE VISITS
All are welcome to drop by our Erie, Colorado facility on the second Friday of any month from 4 – 6 pm.
TRADE SHOW VISITS
January 7 ADAPT Expo: Golden, CO
March 31-April 4 AMUG Conference: Chicago IL, Booth #TBD
April 8-11 35th Space Symposium: Colorado Springs CO, Booth 1011
May 21 – 23 RAPID: Detroit MI, Booth #TBD