NanoSteel unveils BLDRmetal powders for binder jet 3D printing

PROVIDENCE – The NanoSteel Co. has introduced the company’s first powders designed for the binder jet 3D printing process, and it says they offer better wear resistance than incumbent materials.
The materials – BLDRmetal J-10 and BLDRmetal J-11 – enable the 3D printing of components for highly abrasive environments that can benefit from additive manufacturing’s ability to “eliminate tooling, create advanced geometries and build custom parts on demand,” according to a press release from the company.
They are intended for use in industries such as oil and gas, and energy, NanoSteel said.
The company said that industrial components made using the J-10 feature two times the elongation and three times the wear and impact resistance of an equivalently infiltrated 420 stainless steel.
NanoSteel said it demonstrated this capability when it printed a security tool for 3DX Industries to be used by a global avionics firm to remove and replace aircraft panels. It said the tools made with J-10 lasted five times longer than the previous solution.
“The NanoSteel solution enabled us to create a tool that delivered the durability and reliability the customer required in a fast turnaround environment,” Roger Janssen, president and CEO of 3DX, an additive manufacturing service provider, said in a statement.
NanoSteel said the J-11 is designed for “extreme wear low-impact applications,” and that components made with it provide 10 times the wear resistance of an equivalently infiltrated 420 stainless steel.
“These first BLDRmetal powders offer compelling alternatives to existing materials for the binder jet printing process,” Harald Lemke, general manager and vice president of engineered powders at NanoSteel, said in a statement. “The company’s entry into the market enhances the applicability of binder jet printing by enabling the additive manufacturing of high-complexity, lower-cost components with exceptional wear performance.”

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