Engineered materials company Uniformity Labs has launched new material at RAPID + TCT 2023 including UniFuse IN625 Nickel Alloy and optimized parameters for L-PBF printing at 60um layer thickness.
The company has further innovated by designing high-density multimodal Inconel 625 powder and 60um layer thickness High-Performance Scanning (HPS) parameters, which can be used for printing in machines with 400W lasers. The powder is highly versatile and can be printed under typical scan parameters at different layer thicknesses and laser powers, while still achieving improved mechanical properties and increased laser speed and throughput at comparable properties.
“We continue to demonstrate outsized value to our customers, harmonizing AM materials and processes to deliver production-scale additive manufacturing,” said Uniformity Labs Founder and CEO Adam Hopkins. “Our powders deliver repeatable mechanical properties and surface finish uniformly across the print bed even when printing at throughputs that greatly exceed those possible with other powders. Our No Compromise approach to AM enables our customers to realize cost-effective serial production.”
Achieving faster exposure time and improved mechanical properties
As demonstrated by Uniformity Labs the use of HPS parameters at 60um layer thickness and 370W power resulted in a 2.1X faster exposure time when a single build of a part was 3D printed in Inconel 625. The mechanical properties achieved were comparable or superior to competitors’ 40um layer thickness scan strategies targeting the highest quality.
By offering a higher tap density and optimized particle size distribution, Uniformity multimodal powders create a more uniform and denser powder bed. This leads to more repeatable part builds with higher throughput. Furthermore, it allows customers to print using Uniformity Labs’ powders at significantly higher build rates while also obtaining stable and enhanced mechanical properties.
The company believes it is tackling the industry’s challenge of economically achieving serial production in AM by creating and manufacturing ultra-low porosity metal powder feedstock. By utilizing HPS strategies and producing products under the UniFuse (for L-PBF) and UniJet (for binder jetting) brands, Uniformity Labs has improved the ability to consistently produce high-quality parts at scale, making additive manufacturing an increasingly established tool for serial production.
Uniformity Labs has expanded its material portfolio to 13 high-density powders by introducing steel, aluminum, and titanium powders under the brand UniFuse for L-PBF and UniJet for binder jetting. The announcement comes after the recent release of these powders and with the expectation of more powders becoming available soon.
UniFuse IN625 mechanical performance and density information
| Ultimate Tensile Strength (Rm z bar) | – 948 ± 8 MPa |
| Ultimate Tensile Strength (Rm xy bar) | – 1039 ± 9 MPa |
| Yield Strength (Rp0.2 z bar) | – 585 ± 11 MPa |
| Yield Strength (Rp0.2 xy bar) | – 695 ± 26 MPa |
| Fracture Elongation (A z bar) | – 47 ± 4 |
| Fracture Elongation (A xy bar) | – 40 ± 6 |
| Surface roughness in the z-direction, no treatment (um) | 8.5 ± 1.2 |
| 99.98% density, 2.1 times the throughput with comparable properties compared to competitor 40um layer thickness printing. |
| Layer thickness | UL 60um, EOS 40um |
| Parts per build | 16 |
| Laser Power | 400W |
Vertical Surface Roughness Ra (Microns)
| Uniformity 60um | 7.3 – 9.7 um |
| EOS 40um | N/A |
| Elongation | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Uniformity 60um | 47% | 40% |
| EOS 40um | 48% | 33% |
| Density | g/cm3 | % |
| Uniformity 60um | 8.4 | 99.98 |
| EOS 40um | 8.4 | N/A |
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Featured image shows component 3D printed with UniFuse IN625 Nickel Alloy. Image via Uniformity Labs.