Aconity3D, a developer of application-specific Additive Manufacturing solutions for metal printing, experienced a boost in its productivity from Equispheres’ high-performance aluminium powders, decided to partner with Equispheres, a Canadian metal 3D printing powder supplier, to distribute the latter’s metal additive manufacturing powder to its customers.
Aconity3D and Equispheres have achieved remarkable 3D printing production speeds with the AconityTWO system and Equispheres’ specialised aluminium metal additive manufacturing powder, which have unique properties designed specifically for AM. Equispheres powder is used in the printing of the AconitySCAN, a key component of the Aconity3D printer line.
“Our material has proven to work well with Aconity3D equipment. This non-exclusive agreement allows Aconity3D to provide its customers with a powder qualified on Aconity3D printing equipment, that has been shown to achieve higher build rates than traditional aluminum powders when combined with the precision and power of Aconity3D’s equipment,” says Evan Butler-Jones, Vice-President, Product & Strategy, Equispheres.
According to Yves Hagedorn, Managing Director of Aconity3D, “We want our customers to have the best production experience when they utilize our specialized printer equipment. The best way to showcase our devices is to equip them with the best powder.”
Butler-Jones added, “We are thrilled to build our partner network with a company of Aconity3D’s calibre. They have a deep understanding of additive manufacturing and the skills, knowledge and equipment to push the boundaries of 3D printing of metal parts.”
According to the companies, using Equispheres’ powder, the AconitySCAN can be printed 3x faster (i.e., 53 hours reduced to 17.5 hours) with no impact on mechanical properties. This dramatic reduction in production time reduces the cost of producing the part by more than half. Such a significant increase in productivity will help advance metal additive manufacturing in cost-sensitive industries such as automotive.
“This is a good example of how a high-precision printer and a high-performance powder can elevate additive manufacturing beyond conventional performance. Aconity3D has achieved fantastic results using our Performance line of powders, and now that same manufacturing advantage is available to any company embracing metal 3D printing.”
Butler-Jones explains that the spherical and uniform Equispheres powder can take advantage of both the precision and configurability of modern 3D printers. “Equispheres’ powder can absorb the energy from a powerful one-kilowatt laser without disturbing the stability of the melt pool. This is not attainable with standard aluminium powders, and it becomes more important as the industry embraces newer higher-tech printing equipment.”
Equispheres sells its metal additive manufacturing powder directly in North America and Europe, supported by an experienced Applications Engineering team. The company recently announced a distribution agreement with Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC).to serve the Japanese market.
About Equispheres: Equispheres is a materials science and technology firm that specialises in high-performance metal powders for additive manufacturing in the automotive, aerospace, and defence industries. With its deep knowledge of metallurgy and its application to additive manufacturing, the company focuses on developing innovative, clean-tech solutions to help solve advanced manufacturing challenges.
About Aconity3D: Aconity3D is a systems provider that specialises in flexible application-specific Additive Manufacturing (AM) systems for metals. The company is located in Aachen’s high-tech district, close to the RWTH University and the Fraunhofer research institutes.
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