316L stainless steel in high-volume metal 3D-printing
3DEO has announced the launch of 316L austenitic stainless steel . The new material is available to customers across all industries , especially in medical , industrial , marine and food processing .
Text and images by 3DEO
A fully austenitic , non-magnetic stainless steel , 316L ( equivalent to UNS S31603 ) maintains excellent performance at room and moderately elevated temperatures , as well as excellent ductility and mechanical performance . This weldable material is extremely corrosion resistant , which makes it ideal for applications that will experience harsh environments . “ Our talented team of material scientists have been hard at work testing and validating 316L on our technology , and we are thrilled with the results ,” said Matt Petros , CEO and co-founder of 3DEO . “ With material properties that meet the MPIF Standard 35 standards , introducing 316L to our customers will allow them to take advantage of the benefits , time-savings and costefficiencies of 3D-printing using a biocompatible , corrosion-resistant material like 316L for their high-demand applications .”
316L stainless steel 316L is commonly used in applications such as laboratory equipment , impellers and pumps , engine parts , food processing equipment , jewelry , kitchen appliances , surgical instruments , marine , chemical and petrochemical processing , and more . “ As our customers aim to innovate and gain a competitive edge with their next generation and new-tomarket products , we have seen strong demand for 316L ,” continued Petros . “ Introducing this to our customers will continue to enable engineers to develop premium products for a wide variety of demanding applications in partnership with 3DEO .”
Examples of 3DEO-printed components .
316L grain structure .
3DEO helps customers with their complex metal components at every stage of the product life cycle , from early ideation and prototyping to manufacturing at scale . And because prototypes are manufactured using the same machines and technologies as longer production runs , with 3DEO , customers can seamlessly progress from prototype to production without the need to undergo lengthy or costly design changes or requalifications to launch products . “ We love to help our customers do what hasn ’ t been done before and solve their toughest problems ,” said CTO Payman Torabi . “ We partner on the design and prototyping to prove novel designs . Then , after the necessary product testing is complete , 3DEO can get them into production faster than any other metal production technology .”
17-4PH stainless steel 3DEO also offers 3D-printing in 17- 4PH stainless steel , which is an alloy widely used for applications requiring high strength in mildly corrosive environments . With near wrought part density in excess of 99 %, excellent mechanical properties up to ~ 316 ° C , and the best surface finish in metal AM , 3DEO ’ s 17-4PH 3D-printed components enable customers to get to market fast with innovative designs and a high performing end-use product .
Powders 3DEO ’ s proprietary powder is formulated for their patented metal 3D-printing technology called Intelligent Layering ( R ). Intelligent Layering technology is the driving
17-4PH grain structure .
force of the company ’ s printers , which are exclusively used as a service to customers . In February 2022 , 3DEO unveiled its next-gen printer , Saffron , equipped with the Intelligent Layering technology . At less than 10 microns nominal , they spread the finest particle size metal powder . Depending on part geometry or print speed required , the printer can automatically vary layer thicknesses anywhere from 50 microns to 250 microns .
Future materials Joining 17-4PH stainless steel , 316L marks the company ’ s latest expansion in the materials division , with a growing list of new materials undergoing testing currently , and set to release in 2023 . Among those metals in development is pure copper launching in Q2 . “ 3DEO has been qualifying new materials in partnership with some of the industry ’ s leading suppliers ,” stated Mahmood Shirooyeh , 3DEO ’ s Senior Materials Scientist . “ I am extremely proud of the team , and excited to offer a broader selection of metallic materials to customers and help them develop premium products .”
About 3DEO
3DEO is a manufacturer of 3D-printed precision metal components made with its patented metal 3D printing technology : Intelligent Layering ®. They created the Manufacturing Cloud™ , an end-to-end manufacturing platform built to scale 3DEO ’ s proprietary metal 3D printers into mass production through software , 3D printing , robotics , automation , augmented reality , and materials innovation . 3DEO is ISO 9001:2015 certified .
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