ExOne Introduce New Nickel-based Inconel(R) Alloy 625 For 3D Metal Printers

Last month I attended the Inside 3D Printing Conference and Expo. This was my first year in attendance. I was interested in how quickly the market was growing, so I often asked fellow attendees to compare this year’s conference to last year’s. Two of the more popular answers I received, were pertaining to the increase in the number of people at the event, as well as an increase in the number of metal printed objects on display. One of the main reason we are seeing more metal prints is that new materials are coming about, making printed metal cheaper, as well as giving manufacturers a vast number of additional uses within their business models.

Today, ExOne announced yet another important metal material for their 3D printers. Inconel(R) alloy 625 is a nickel-based alloy, which is created for use within ExOne’s printers, that utilize a binder jetting technology. Inconel(R) alloy 625 has many uses, especially in the energy, chemical, and aerospace industries, as it’s extremely resistant to corrosion and oxidation, and maintains structural consistency over a wide range of temperature and pressure ranges. The material, which is 99% dense, is used for anything from turbine blades, to molding processes, to filtration and separation devices.

Rick Lucas, ExOne’s Chief Technology Officer, stated, “Our qualification of the more than 99 percent dense Inconel(R) alloy 625 further validates ExOne’s binder jetting technology as a cost-effective 3D printing industrial solution. Our machines provide higher volumetric output per unit of time compared with other metal 3D printing technologies, and greater flexibility for simultaneously printing multiple production parts. We believe that the ability to directly print highly dense metal components increases our competitive edge with both subtractive manufacturers and other metal 3D printing technologies.”

Material research and development is an important part of the 3D printing market, especially for ExOne, whose R&D department, the ExOne Material Applications Laboratory (“ExMAL”), is working on several projects to expand their 3D printing material offerings. As the market matures, the materials that printers are capable of printing in, may be just as important to the manufacturing sector as the printing technology itself. ExOne will announce their quarterly financial results next Thursday, March 15th. Discuss Inconel(R) alloy 625 at 3DPB.com