British foundry company Aeromet International recently announced a breakthrough achievement, namely its patented A20X aluminum alloy powder has become one of the highest strength aluminum alloy powders currently used in the market for additive manufacturing.
It is reported that the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the 3D printed metal powder has exceeded 500 MPa. The research is part of the HighSAP joint Aeromet, Renishaw and Rolls-Royce project.
The study consisted of 3D printed heat-treated parts of A20X. After heat treatment, the ultimate tensile strength of the part was 511 MPa, the yield strength was 440 MPa, and the elongation was 13%. These characteristics make this commercial metal printing powder the forefront of additive manufacturing of high-strength aluminum powder.
The joint project also shows that the heat-treated A20X module can still maintain its strength and fatigue resistance at high temperatures.