Collaboration aims to provide controlled and safe metal powder supply using Additive Industries’ Powder Load Tool.
The global engineering group Sandvik and Netherlands-based additive manufacturing (AM) machine supplier Additive Industries have partnered to enable direct filling and transportation of the former’s powder using the latter’s MetalFab Powder Load Tool (PLT).
Sandvik counts metal powders amongst its broad portfolio of products and services and Additive Industries provides laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) machines for AM applications, which the PLT is intended to complement.
Under the new partnership and start with gas-atomized Osprey 718 nickel-based superalloy (IN718), Osprey 316L stainless steel and Osprey Ti-6Al-4V-ELI (Grade 23) titanium alloy, Sandvik can fill the PLT under controlled conditions at the company’s production site in Sweden, then transport the PLT to customer sites for direct loading into Additive Industries MetalFab systems.
Additive Industries says this will create a complete solution for users to ensure total control of their powder feedstock materials, maintaining high quality and ensuring the health and safety of system operators, since they’ll have no contact or exposure to metal powder at any point in the process chain. The company also claims that the PLTs have been thoroughly tested and approved for road, rail and sea transport. They can contain up to 175L of metal powder which, depending on the density, can translate into about 600kg of steel powder.
Other stated benefits of PLTs for operators of MetalFab systems include:
• Full compatibility and connection of PLT with MetalFab printer
• Sensors within PLT and MetalFab to check correct powder is loaded
• Inert storage and transportation conditions for metal powders
“As the leading developer and manufacturer of gas-atomized metal powder for a wide range of advanced production technologies, we are happy to partner with Additive Industries to offer the market a state-of-the-art metal powder supply solution,” said Andrew Coleman, vice president of business unit AM, powder solutions, Sandvik, in a press release. “We are committed to using engineering and innovation to make the shift towards more industrial solutions and the PLT is a natural addition to enabling increased efficiency and safety for our customers’ staff. We look forward to continuing pushing the boundaries of metal powder for additive manufacturing technologies.”
“We recognize the critical nature of the powder feedstock in our systems, both from a quality and safety perspective, which is why the MetalFab is designed to minimize exposure of powder particles to oxygen, moisture and human contact,” said Mark Massey, CEO of Additive Industries, in the same release. “We are very pleased to announce Sandvik as our approved powder supply partner filling our PLT’s and allowing MetalFab customers to improve their quality control, health and safety and factory workflow.”
