LPW Technology Inc., Pittsburgh, and Metalysis, U.K., have formed a collaboration with the goal of developing an alternative supply chain for clean, spherical tantalum and tungsten powders for critical applications. It will combine the unique Metalysis metal production technology with LPW’s spheroidization and post-processing capability. LPW will also be responsible for selling the optimized powder to the AM market. This will result in a supply chain that will be robust and quality-driven, and that will deliver high-performance powders for additive manufacturing.
LPW leads the way in the development, optimization, and supply of metal powders into the AM industry, and will be able to spheroidize, size, and blend high quality, free flowing powders directly from the raw material and alloys.
The Metalysis technology, which produces metal powder directly from oxide by electrolysis, has the potential to significantly increase production volumes. Its plant in South Yorkshire, England, which began producing tantalum powder this year, is the first new primary tantalum metal production plant in Europe in more than 30 years. The patented process for producing metals, including refractory materials such as tantalum and tungsten alloys, offers both economic and environmental benefits over traditional metal production methods.
