Metal printing breakthrough: multiple alloys in one object

[DocM]

The engineers are going to love this one; automotive, aerospace, avionics etc. etc.

[httpurl=http://microfabricator.com/articles/view/id/53d7f2a5313944304a8b4575/manufacturing-breakthrough-allows-for-3d-printing-of-several-different-metals-within-one-print?]DiffeRentiator....[/url]

Manufacturing Breakthrough Allows for 3D Printing of Several Different Metals Within One Print

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A recent accomplishment by researchers at NASA?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, and Pennsylvania State University, University Park, could have staggering implications for manufacturing in general, over the coming years. What they have managed to do, is figure out a way in which a part can be 3D printed out of several different metal alloys. For instance, a jet engine component could be printed in one piece with several different properties throughout. The area of the part which directly makes contact with a heat source, could consist of a metal alloy which can stand up to higher temperatures, while the opposite side of that part could consist of a metal with less temperature resistance, but be lighter, stronger and less dense, to cut back on weight.

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Nature paper....(HTML)

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To conclude, the current work extends upon the literature in gradient alloys by demonstrating a roadmap for producing materials with multifunctional properties that generally cannot be obtained using standard metallurgy techniques

Deposition experimentation was combined with x-ray diffraction scans and phase diagram calculations in a way that extends the knowledge of these alloys for future research. The intent of this work is to demonstrate that the metal additive manufacturing technology, while impressive for fabricating complex net-shaped components, has the potential to change the paradigm for materials selection in mechanical design. By fabricating components with graded compositions, limitations in the properties of monolithic metal alloys can be circumvented, allowing access to hardware that was never before possible. We have shown that multi-component phase diagrams can be used as maps to transition from one desired material property to another and we have demonstrated that applying a rotational axis to the already net-shaped LD fabrication process can be used to generate alloys with radial composition gradients.

Extending this work would involve the fabrication of many new gradient compositions and then identifying applications where the multifunctional properties of those gradients are most beneficial. Among the most highly desirable gradients are those from Ti-alloys to Al-alloys, from steel to Al-alloys and from Ti-alloys to steel.