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SANDVIK
SANDVIK CREATES FIRST 3D
PRINTED DIAMOND COMPOSITE
Sandvik Additive Manufacturing has
created the first ever 3D printed diamond
composite. While this diamond does not
sparkle, it is perfect for a wide range of
industrial uses. The new process means that
this super-hard material can now be 3D
printed in highly complex shapes and can
thereby revolutionise the way industry uses
the hardest natural material on the planet.
The diamond composite will be unveiled at
the RAPID + TCT show in Detroit May 21 -
23, 2019, North America’s leading event for
Additive Manufacturing.
Diamond is harder than anything else in
nature. It is a key component in a large
range of wear resistant tools in industry,
from mining and drilling to machining
and also medical implants. Since 1953 it
has been possible to produce synthetic
diamond, but since it’s so hard and
complicated to machine, it is almost
impossible to form complex shapes.
Until now, production of super hard
diamond materials only has allowed for a
few simple geometric configurations to be
formed. By using additive manufacturing
and a tailor-made, proprietary post-
processing method, Sandvik has managed
to 3D-print diamond composites which can
be formed into almost any shape.
The difference between Sandvik’s diamond
and natural or synthetic diamond is that
Sandvik’s is a composite material. Most
of the material is diamond, but to make
it printable and dense it needs to be
cemented in a very hard matrix material,
keeping the most important physical
properties of pure diamond.
THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE
ENORMOUS
Delivery Manager at Sandvik Additive
Manufacturing. “Even now we are just
starting to grasp the possibilities and
applications that this breakthrough could
have.
“On seeing its potential, we began to
wonder what else would be possible from
3D-printing complex shapes in a material
that is three times stiffer than steel, with
heat conductivity higher than copper, the
thermal expansion close to Invar – and
with a density close to aluminium. These
benefits make us believe that you will see
this diamond composite in new advanced
industrial applications ranging from wear
parts to space programs, in just a few years
from now.”
THE 3D PRINTING PROCESS
Due to Sandvik’s use of additive
manufacturing, diamond components
can now be created application ready, in
very complex shapes, without the need for
further machining. This will open up the
possibility of using it in applications that
were previously considered impossible. “The additive manufacturing process used
is highly advanced,” explained Mikael
Schuisky, Head of R&D and Operations at
Sandvik Additive Manufacturing. “We are
printing in a slurry consisting of diamond
powder and polymer using a method called
stereolithography, where complex parts are
produced, layer by layer, using ultraviolet
light.
“Historically, 3D printing in diamond was
something that none of us imagined was
achievable,” explained Anders Ohlsson, The step after the 3D-printing is however
even more demanding. This is where
Sandvik has developed, a tailor-made,
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proprietary post processing method
making it possible to achieve the exact
properties of the super-hard diamond
composite.
“This step was extremely complicated.
However, after extensive R&D efforts and
several trials we managed to take control
over the process and made the first 3D
printed diamond composite.”
“It was incredible to see what we can
achieve when we combine Sandvik’s
leading expertise in materials technology
with our strong capabilities in additive
manufacturing and post processing,”
commented Mikael Schuisky. “We have
some of the world’s leading experts in both
materials and additive manufacturing,
which in a case like this can benefit many
industries around the globe making it
possible to use diamond in applications
and shapes never conceived possible
before.”
“Rather than looking to actually develop
completely new materials, today the big
push within the industry involves the often-
radical restructuring of existing materials,”
said Annika Borgenstam, Professor at the
Department of Materials Science and
Engineering at Stockholm’s KTH Royal
Institute of Technology.