2017 has been a year of expansion for ExOne, particularly in the US, as the company announced its plans to expand its Michigan and Texas production service centers at the beginning of the year. ExOne has been seeing growth for quite a while, with outstanding revenues in 2016, and the company continues to develop new products to keep that growth and success up. ExOne’s corporate headquarters are located in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh, which is also the location of its Mid-Atlantic production service center, where metal parts are 3D printed.
The Mid-Atlantic production service center also saw a recent major expansion, and takes up 13,000 square feet. It offers 3D printed parts in several metals, and today it got a new one, as ExOne announced that it is introducing a new stainless steel material in the Pennsylvania center. Stainless steel seems to be popular these days – particularly a certain alloy called 17-4PH, also known as SAE Type 630 or UNS S17400. EOS began offering the alloy just a couple of weeks ago, and it’s now available to be 3D printed at ExOne’s Mid-Atlantic production service center.
17-4PH stainless steel is an alloy of chromium, nickel and copper, and it’s popular because of its high strength and good corrosion resistance. It also lends itself especially well to being welded, compared to other stainless steel alloys. The material is commonly used in a variety of industries including aerospace, automotive, defense and medical equipment.
“We could not be more excited with the addition of 17-4PH to our suite of materials offerings. Given its unique characteristics, the availability of 17-4PH broadens our addressable market and potential customer base,” said Tim Pierce, VP of Metal Commercial Products at ExOne. “The applications are plentiful and we are ready to service our customers’ needs, from prototypes to serial production.”
ExOne produces metal parts using binder jetting, which involves the deposition of a liquid binding agent to join metal powder particles together to form a part. The technology is capable of creating large and complex parts, plus it’s fast and it doesn’t require heat, which eliminates residual stresses.
17-4PH stainless steel now joins ExOne’s other stainless steel alloys, which include 420 stainless steel infiltrated with bronze, 316 stainless steel infiltrated with bronze, and 316 stainless steel highly sintered.
ExOne’s services include both 3D printing and casting, as well as 3D design, materials development and reverse engineering. Customers can order parts from any of the company’s service centers or from its website. ExOne will be showcasing several parts 3D printed with 17-4PH stainless steel at the TCT Show, which is taking place in Birmingham, UK from September 26 to 28. About 10,000 people are expected to be in attendance. 3DPrint.com will be there, and we will bring you all the latest news from the showroom floor.
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[Images: ExOne]
