Product category:
Rapid Prototyping
News Release from: EOS Electro Optical Systems (UK) | Subject: MaragingSteel MS1, PrimePart DC and PrimePart ST
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 29 January 2008
Novel powders expand rapid manufacturing
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New powders for laser-sintering in Eosint metal and plastic powder processing machines enable new classes of products to be produced.
Additive layer manufacturing applications in rapid manufacturing and prototyping are being extended with the introduction by EOS of new powders for laser-sintering in its Eosint metal and plastic powder processing machines EOS MaragingSteel MS1 is a new, martensite-hardening steel of high strength and toughness, suited to producing heavy-duty tooling inserts
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 24 Jun 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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It is at least on a par with, or even superior to, conventional tool steels.
Other applications are the production of high-performance parts for the aerospace industry.
The material's composition corresponds to US classification 18 maraging 300, European 1.2709 and German X3NiCoMoTi 18-9-5.
Further reading
Cost-effective manufacturing by laser sintering
The new Eosint M 270 laser sintering machine manufactures metal components in small, medium and even large volumes by fusing successive layers of powder using data from a sliced CAD model.
RP bureau installs laser-sintering machine
As part of a GBP 1.3 million investment during 2003, leading rapid prototyping company, CA Models, has installed an Eosint P 700 twin laser-sintering machine.
It is easily machinable after the building process, has a tensile strength of 1950MPa and can be post-hardened to approximately 55 HRC by simple thermal age-hardening.
According to Dr Michael Shellabear, Vice President at EOS: "MaragingSteel MS1 is one of the reasons that our metal technology is currently booming".
"Sales of Eosint M systems have increased over the last three years by an average of 43% annually".
"There have been other drivers as well, for example our new titanium TiAl6V4".
"Various manufacturers in the medical device industry are testing and qualifying the material".
"It also has the significant advantage of helping to decrease weight in the aerospace industry, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions".
PrimePart DC is a new, impact resistant plastic material from EOS.
The natural coloured polyamide offers a fracture elongation of 50%, which is about double that of previously available materials.
It has a tensile strength of 48MPa and a Young's modulus of 1550MPa.
Other mechanical properties are comparable to those of the proven PA 2200 polyamide.
"We are seeing a lot of interest from the automotive industry for applications that require good impact performance, such as interior parts", says Thomas Mattes, Vice President for Plastic Laser-Sintering at EOS.
A further new powder is PrimePart ST, a flexible material with a 250% fracture elongation.
Parts laser-sintered from this material are fully dense, so gas-tight products can be produced directly.
compared with other flexible laser-sintering materials available, PrimePart ST shows a four times higher tensile strength of 8MPa.
Moreover, it is the first flexible material in the world of layer manufacturing that does not require post-infiltration.
Potential applications are shoe soles, seals and hoses.
In future, EOS will offer a wider choice of polyamide colours.
PA 2202 black is a polyamide material containing black pigments, the resulting parts being coloured throughout their whole volume, which makes them resistant to scratches, abrasion and dirt.
The parts are thus well suited to mechanically stressed applications or dirty environments, such as under vehicle bonnets.
PA 2203 grey is a further alternative in light grey.
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