H.C. Starck Introduces New Metal Powders for 3D Printing

Based in Munich, Germany, H.C. Starck is a global leader in metal and ceramic materials. 3D printing is not new to the company, which employs more than 2,500 people across the world; in fact, its metal powders have been used for additive manufacturing for more than a decade. This week, however, H.C. Starck is expanding its 3D printing offerings through a new line of metal powders for additive manufacturing.

H.C. Starck has been a part of the metal powder manufacturing industry for a long time, offering its AMPERSINT gas atomized metal powders for 40 years. The company’s powders are used in a wide range of industries for applications including hot isostatic processing (HIP) and metal injection molding (MIM). Now H.C. Starck has introduced AMPERPRINT, a new series of gas atomized metal powders specifically optimized for 3D printing.

Three new 3D printing powders have been unveiled:

• Nickel, which is well-suited for high-strength and high-temperature applications thanks to its strength and high oxidation resistance
• Cobalt chrome, which possesses good mechanical properties as well as high corrosion and temperature resistance, is designed for applications in industries ranging from biomedical to aerospace
• Steel, a strong and hard material with high resistance to wear, abrasion and corrosion, can be used in mechanical engineering applications as well as medical or functional prototypes

“We have designed our high-quality AMPERPRINT®powders for the special requirements of 3D printing,” says H.C. Starck. “They are fully dense, have a high packing density, an excellent flowability, a spherical shape and are perfectly reproducible.”

The high-alloyed metal powders are available in all major standard compositions as well as customized formulations. H.C. Starck offers customer-specific powders with unique morphology, particle size distribution and chemical composition, produced in the company’s three gas atomization plants. The three plants differ only in their size and production capacity: the smallest plant is designed to facilitate research and development applications, while the medium- and large-scale plants are well-suited for medium or industrial scale production.

“When you have a highly demanded product, avoiding bottlenecks is essential in production. With H.C. Starck upscaling is easy,” the company states. “Once we have developed and aligned the chemical and physical properties of our metal powder perfectly to your requirements, we simply ramp up production. No lengthy upscaling processes. No waiting time. Just start your series production right away!”

In addition to the introduction of the new metal 3D printing powders, H.C. Starck has also announced that it is improving its logistic processes. Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2017, a large selection of standard alloys will be kept in stock at all times, ensuring fast delivery times. In addition, H.C. Starck will work closely with customers to create precisely the formulations they need for their specific applications.

H.C. Starck works with customers from industries including electronics, chemicals, medicine, aerospace and aviation, energy and environmental technology, and machine and tool building. The new materials line is targeted towards this broad range of industries, and H.C. Starck has pledged that it will continue to develop its additive manufacturing capabilities to meet the changing needs of its customers well into the future. Discuss in the H.C. Starck forum at 3DPB.com.

[Images: H.C. Starck]