3D Printing News Briefs, December 10, 2022: Top Workplaces & Nitinol & More

We’re starting with business in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs—Elementum 3D hired a new COO, and the Boston Globe named Seurat Technologies a Top Five Place to Work. Moving on, Titomic launched its new D623 System, and is already reporting sales in both Germany and Spain. Finally, Linde showcased a turnkey solution for 3D printing nitinol parts at formnext.

Elementum 3D Announces New COO

Thom Stalcup, Elementum 3D’s new COO

Metal 3D printing materials developer and supplier Elementum 3D announced that it has hired accomplished executive manager Thom Stalcup as chief operating officer (COO). Stalcup, most recently the VP of Global Operations and Module Operations at photovoltaic company Solexel, has more than four decades of experience scaling and growing technology startups, with Elementum 3D being the fifth technology startup he’s participated in, and is passionate about forming strong partnerships with suppliers and customers to support aligned business goals. Additionally, he has a patent in solar cell design, and was responsible for managing multiple factories while they delivered high-tech products to partners and consumers.

“I am delighted to join Elementum 3D. I believe groundbreaking metal powder technology pioneered by Elementum 3D will accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing across many industries,” Stalcup said. “Our Our rapidly expanding product offerings are broadening our ability to solve customers’ demanding applications. I look forward to working with everyone at Elementum 3D to strengthen our product offerings and support our existing and new customers.”

Boston Globe Names Seurat Technologies a Top Place to Work

Image courtesy of Seurat via Instagram

Massachusetts-based Seurat Technologies, which is working to create the next generation of metal 3D printers for industrial serial production, announced that it has been honored by the Boston Globe as one of the Top Places to Work in the state. This 15th year of the awards, 381 organizations were reviewed—the most companies every surveyed for this annual list—and Seurat was ranked #5 in the Small Employers category (50-99 employees). The awards measure a company’s execution, direction, management, connection, pay and benefits, work, and engagement,  and recognize the state’s most admired workplaces based on an employee survey. Seurat, which was recently named to Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech list for its Area Printing solution, prioritizes a workplace environment that empowers all team members to have a voice in shaping the company’s future. Employees also receive an equity stake in the organization, in addition to having fun together, and Seurat expects continued growth as it’s preparing to open its first full-scale factory in the Boston metro area.

“Seurat is reimagining the status quo of both manufacturing and workplace culture, and we’re thrilled to see our efforts recognized as one of the top workplaces in Massachusetts. Our team is bringing our vision of decarbonized, localized manufacturing to life, just down the river from where the Industrial Revolution began. To continue this legacy of homegrown innovation, Seurat is committed to creating a vibrant workplace with equity and collaboration as key pillars,” said James DeMuth, Co-Founder and CEO of Seurat Technologies.

Titomic Launches D623 Cold Spray System, Announces Two Sales

Australian company Titomic Limited (ASX: TTT) announced that it has extended its product line with the launch of its new D623 medium-pressure cold spray system, which enhances the company’s commercial offering as it can deposit harder metals in comparison to the D523. The company has already received two purchase orders for the new system, totaling ~AUD 270,000, with the first already delivered to German material science and innovation company Neue Materialien Bayreuth GmbH, which will use the D623 for R&D and to restore metal coatings and parts for its client base. A second D623 was sold to Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, and will be delivered soon, again for R&D purposes, but also to add AM capabilities to the university’s existing range.

“It’s exciting to have received two commercial orders from two innovative and leading organisations. These sales further demonstrate the growing trust and demand for our technology that’s building in key markets, such as Europe,” said Managing Director of Titomic, Mr Herbert Koeck. “The development of this System adds strength to our product portfolio, and further cements the Company as a leading cold spray and advanced manufacturing provider. Titomic now has a significantly varied cold spray offering, enabling us to add value to a broad range of industries and manufacturers.”

formnext: Linde’s Turnkey Solution for 3D Printing Nitinol

Finally, Linde showcased several flagship gas technologies at formnext, including its turnkey offering that accelerates the use of nitinol (NiTi), a special metal alloy of nickel and titanium with unique properties like shape memory effect and superelasticity. This material is used more and more in medical and dental industries for stents, orthodontic parts, and orthopedic implants, and in the aerospace industry for solar panels, but the alloy is difficult to manufacture using subtractive technology, and traditional machining can degrade surfaces. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing offers more production efficiency and design freedom, but there are still issues to overcome.

It’s necessary to decrease the amount of oxygen in the print chamber for the most common issues, and Linde collaborated with 3D Medlab to optimize the print atmosphere with its ADDvance O2 precision oxygen monitoring system and ADDvance Laser230 process gas mixture. ADDvance O2 precision provides continuous analysis of the gas atmosphere, and will initiate an automatic purging process to keep the print atmosphere at optimal condition. ADDvance Laser 230 process gas combines helium and argon to reduce porosity, redeposition, and powder loss by up to 20%, and the alloy-agnostic solution also increases the printer’s lifecycle, mitigates fume formation, and speeds up cycle times to make the printing process safer, as well as lowering cost per part.

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