HRL Laboratories is a joint research center owned by GM and Boeing. Recently, the center announced the registration of a high-strength aluminum alloy, paving the way for the commercialization of the material.
The Virginia-based industry association and standards organization Aluminum Association created a new registration system in February 2019 to meet the growing demand for aluminum alloys in additive manufacturing.
HRL's 3D printed alloy is the only alloy that uses the non-weldable aluminum alloys Al7075 and AL6061, and will be the first to register a new aluminum alloy standard.
"Purple sheet" is part of the association's "Rainbow" series. The various colors of the rainbow represent unique aluminum alloys and industry standards.
Since 1954, the Aluminum Association has registered more than 500 aluminum alloys, and HRL's new materials have become the basis for the expansion of this series of products.
HRL Laboratories' high-strength aluminum alloy powder was demonstrated to the world in September 2017. They used a commercially available variant of Al7075 and Al6061 micropowder as a basis, and added grain-refined zirconium-based nanoparticles to it. This can control the solidification during printing. The alloy powder is not cracked by laser 3D printing, and the strength of the obtained alloy material is equivalent to that of wrought aluminum.
The team said that there is already a high demand for this material and they are currently commercializing it. Interested 3D printing companies can contact HRL to customize specific quantities.
HRL Laboratories' research and development paper on high-strength aluminum alloy powders has been published in the journal Nature.