Gränges Powder Metallurgy of Sweden introduced its first aluminum alloy, DISPAL, which can be used in the production of PBF-LB additive ® S220 AM of high-performance aluminum series.
It is said that the performance of this alloy is comparable to that of steel, but its weight is only one third of that of steel, which is very suitable for aerospace and automotive industries.
S220 AM alloy is characterized by high silicon content, low density and small coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). Because fine silicon particles are uniformly distributed in the matrix structure, this material has good wear and friction properties.
Greta D'Angelo, the business development manager of the company, said: "It has not been found that other alloys in the AM market have such small CTE. In the past, Gr ä nges had many successful customer cases, replacing steel and carbon fiber applications with traditional DISPAL S220.
We are pleased to be able to provide similar additive manufacturing materials, so that customers have more opportunities to achieve geometric degrees of freedom in the design of new generation products. "
For applications requiring high accuracy in high load and high temperature environments, small CTE is a key factor, such as linear technology and robots. This is also a key attribute in aerospace industrial optical applications. In the aerospace industry, small CTE is helpful to realize long-distance high-precision communication.
Gränges has more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing aluminum powder.
DISPAL S220 was invented in the 1980s and commercialized as part of a larger alloy family. Now, this material is used in additive manufacturing field, marking that the company has begun to enter into such technologies.
DISPAL S220 AM powder is not yet on the market, but Gränges will provide additive manufacturing services through a global network of trusted partners. This service is not limited to manufacturing parts, but also provides support in parts selection, development, engineering and quality assurance.
D'Angelo said: "Gränges hopes to support customers in the whole process and deliver high-quality finished components, whether prototype or mass production.
Using new materials may be a difficult process, especially for new technologies such as AM. Gränges has solved this part of the problem for customers, so they don't have to worry about it. "
At present, Gränges is committed to developing a series of products, including additive manufacturing aluminum powder and special additive manufacturing aluminum alloy. It is expected that more alloys will be introduced before the end of this year.