Uniformity Launches Stainless Steel Powder

Uniformity Labs makes available its low porosity 17-4PH stainless steel powder UniJet SS17-4PH Performance for the Desktop Metal Production System. 

During the qualification on Desktop Metal’s Production System, the physical and mechanical properties of UniJet 17-4PH powder were evaluated. The uniform powder bed layering of UniJet 17-4PH delivers green strength and reportedly less shrinkage than other stainless-steel powders qualified for use with Desktop Metal’s Production System. 

A key advantage of UniJet 17-4PH is its apparent and tapped densities, resulting in green parts with many more contact points between particles and higher density. This allows for green parts with nearly twice the magnitude of transverse rupture strength across all layer thicknesses. Such green parts, alongside the very high flowability of Uniformity powder, make fabricating more complex thin-walled or heavier green parts with larger aspect ratios viable by minimizing breakage during de-powdering of large, high aspect ratio and geometrically complex parts with fine features and channels.

Uniformity’s UniJet 17-4PH powder on the Production System consistently achieved about 25% less shrinkage in X, 19% less shrinkage in Y, and almost 20% less shrinkage in Z axes than the standard binder jetting powder across all layer thicknesses, the company claims. The powder repeatably delivers 99-100% final part density for material properties. UniJet 17-4PH powder yielded parts with, on average, three times lower standard deviation in green density than standard binder jetting powder, the company adds. 

The flowable powder improves throughput by allowing repeatable fast layering at thicker layers. At 75um layer thickness and with 20% reduced shrinkage (more parts fit on the bed), a net throughput benefit of approximately 25% relative to standard binder jetting powders for Desktop Metal’s Production System. 

“The application of Uniformity UniJet 17-4PH stainless steel for BJT delivers mechanical and process excellence for our customers who require materials that perform to the highest standards across each step of the production process,” says Uniformity Founder and CEO Adam Hopkins. “

“Desktop Metal is delighted to offer this highly advanced 17-4 PH stainless steel powder from Uniformity Labs for our Production System platform,” says Ric Fulop, founder and CEO of Desktop Metal. “This latest addition to our material portfolio allows us to binder jet 17-4 PH stainless steel materials critical to producing complex designs. Binder jetting powders processed with Uniformity Labs technology enables unmatched mechanical properties and can further improve the economics of printing. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with the Uniformity team.”

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