Editor’s Pick: New superalloy for laser powder bed fusion

Velo3D has released a new nickel-based superalloy now qualified for use on the company’s line of Sapphire laser powder bed fusion printers. The company says the new material is ideal for high-temperature applications including gas turbines, rocket engines and other high-stress/high-temperature applications. 

The material—Amperprint 0233 Haynes 282 (A0H2)—is developed by Haynes International and processed and distributed by Höganäs AB, a leading manufacturer of metal powders for metallurgy. Classified as a precipitation-hardenable nickel-based superalloy, Velo3D says the material exhibits “excellent creep strength and thermal stability.” Even at high temperatures, the company says, the material offers excellent tensile strength, allowing it to retain its shape and strength properties.

Velo3D says A0H2’s unique set of properties make it “especially suited” to welding and fabrication as well as for its use in Laser Powder Bed Fusion. “Its weldability means it largely avoids the challenges faced with other nickel alloys,” Velo3D says, “specifically issues related to cracking and hardening.” 

The company says these factors make it sought after for critical applications in aerospace, defense and petrochemical industries. The company also says these properties, when used in the Sapphire line of Laser Powder Bed Fusion printers, position the material as a leading candidate for emerging technology applications as manufacturers explore new levels of design freedom by combining superalloys and metal printing.  

Velo3D says the performance criteria for its powder supply chain are rigorous, “not only governed by our partner agreements but by our own quality qualification process and the specific print recipes we build for each alloy used in our underlying Intelligent Fusion manufacturing process.”

A proof-of-concept part built using the new material on a Velo3D Sapphire printer is a combustor liner for a gas turbine engine. Fuel is sprayed into the liner, allowing combustion air and cooling air flow to pass through. 

Superalloy Amperprint 0233 Haynes 282 is now available from Velo3D for use in the Sapphire line of Laser Powder Bed Fusion printer.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.