GE Additive Arcam, Frankfurt, Germany, announces that development material (D-material) support for pure copper and highly alloyed tool steel powders will be available beginning in 2020. These new materials build on the well-known technology benefits of electron beam melting (EBM), such as high productivity and deep experience with alloys susceptible to cracks. However, many lesser-known benefits also accrue, such as EBM’s clean build environment, low oxidation, and low reflectivity.
The addition of pure copper and tool steel is a direct response to increased customer interest. Offered to all customers as a general release on both pure copper and tool steel, a D-material describes the maturity of process parameters for a specific family of materials. D-materials meet mechanical requirements for test bars on a limited build envelope to relevant industrial standards.
However, obtaining the same properties for complex geometries requires additional development, resulting in an industrialized material (I-material) — with process parameters optimized for production on customer applications with specific mechanical and chemical properties.
The GE Additive AddWorks team is available to provide guidance and support on the right process parameters for their applications, and with mechanical and chemical requirements for both materials. It is also anticipated that some customers will manage customization in-house themselves.
“This general release of D-material support for pure copper and tool steel is an exciting development and opens up EBM to wider range of industries and applications,” said Karl Lindblom, general manager, Arcam EBM. “We have opted to take an open, collaborative approach and will review feedback from customer using the D-material, and gauge their long-term interest, before considering how we approach industrializing the materials.”.
