Diverse Applications of Additive Manufacturing Metal Powders

Lighter products can be made using the additive manufacturing technique. The use of this technique is aimed towards making machines stronger and lighter, and makes use of 3d printing technology. Complex structures can be fabricated with the use of additive manufacturing metal powders these days. To get the powders, a company would need to get in touch with a reputed vendor.

Applications of additive manufacturing metal powders

Aluminum based metal powder is routinely used in a variety of industries. Examples of such industries are:

• Aerospace
• Automotive
• Powder metallurgy
• Profile surface spraying

Additive manufacturing makes use of 3d printing, which is necessary to make three dimensional objects by starting from a digital file. Several materials are used to prepare complex shapes through complex manufacturing methods, but now the same can be achieved with only a few materials, using 3d printing powder.

This powder is also used for a number of metal 3D printers around the world.

Metal powder types

Metal powders from the best companies have a number of useful properties, which include controlled size distribution, and spherical morphology. A vast selection of metal powders can be look at, based on one’s exact requirements. Here is a look at the different types:

• Aluminum-based
• Iron-based
• Copper-based
• Nickel-based
• Cobalt-based
• Customized alloys
• Titanium-based

The role of Quality

The quality of the material supplier is very important for gaining maximum benefits. High quality parts can only be produced when good quality material is provided by a well known supplier.  B2B customers across industrial, medical, and automotive fields require tailored metal powders.

Use of 3D printing in the automotive sector

3D printing or additive manufacturing has been in use in the automotive sector since a while, with many top brands participating in the same. The manufacturers use 3d printing to print the parts mentioned below:

• Fixtures
• Spare parts
• End-use parts
• Tools
• Jigs

Though some people may find this surprising, but a number of automotive enthusiasts are making use of 3d printed parts to restore old cars. This is useful when regular parts are not available, which is often the case with such cars. Over the years, 3d printers will allow more and more people to own vintage cars. 3d printing is expected to receive a large number of updates for the automotive sector.

Top examples of 3d printing applications

Different technologies and materials are used for 3d printing, and material produced through this technology becomes suitable for several industries. Many industries can benefit from these applications, and examples are given below:

• Prosthetics
• Dental products
• Movie props
• Reconstruction of evidence for the forensic lab
• Reconstruction of fossils
• Industrial products like end-use parts, prototypes, and manufacturing tools

Using 3d printers for Rapid Prototyping

The reason for the above is that it is relatively fast and cheap. Time taken from ideation to a 3D model and then to obtaining the prototype has come down to days from weeks. Changes are easily made now and there is no need to use expensive tools.