Titanium 3D Printer: Improving Aerospace Manufacturing

CADplus Metal introduced a new approach to 3D printing of metal components to the North American market, known as cold metal fusion (CMF). John Carrington, the company’s CEO, says CMF produces 3D printed metal parts that are stronger, cheaper and faster to manufacture. This includes titanium components, which have historically caused problems for 3D printers.

3D printing has been using metals such as aluminum, powdered steel, and nickel alloys for some time. While titanium parts are in high demand in fields such as aerospace and healthcare due to their superior strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance and suitability for complex geometries, the metal presents challenges for 3D printers.

Titanium becomes more reactive at high temperatures and tends to crack as the printed part cools. It can also become brittle as it absorbs hydrogen, oxygen or nitrogen during the printing process. Carrington says CMF overcomes these problems.

“Our main customers tend to be from the energy, defense and aerospace sectors,” says Carrington. “A large defense contractor recently switched from traditional 3D printing to CMF because it will save them millions and reduce months of prototyping and part production. »

How CMF Improves Titanium 3D Printing Efficiency

CMF combines the flexibility of 3D printing with new powder metallurgy processes to deliver increased strength and durability to parts made of titanium and many other metals and alloys. The process uses a combination of proprietary metal powders and polymer binders that are fused layer by layer to create high-strength metal components.

The process begins like any other 3D printing project: a digital file that represents the desired 3D object directs the actions of a standard industrial 3D printer by depositing a mixture of metal and a plastic binder. A laser lightly fuses each layer of powder into a strong, cohesive structure. Excess powder is removed for reuse.

The difference between CMF is that the initial parts generated by this stage of the process are strong enough to be ground, drilled and milled if necessary. The parts then soak in a solvent to dissolve the plastic binder. Then they enter a furnace to burn off any remaining binder, fuse the metal particles, and compact them into a dense metal component. Surface or finishing treatments can then be applied such as polishing and heat treatment.

“Our cold metal fusion technology offers a process at least three times faster and more scalable than any other type of 3D printing,” says Carrington. “Prices per part are typically 50-60% lower than alternative metal 3D printing technologies. We expect these prices to drop even further as we scale.”

3D printing with metal powders such as titanium makes it possible to create parts with complex geometries.CADplus Metal

The material used in CMF was developed by Headmade Materials, a German company. Headmade holds a patent on this 3D printing raw material, which was designed for use by the existing ecosystem of 3D printing machines. CADmore Metal is the exclusive North American distributor of metal powders used in CMF. The company can also serve as a systems integrator for the entire process by providing printing and sintering equipment, specialty powders, process expertise, training and technical support.

“We provide advice on design optimization and integration with existing workflows to help clients maximize the benefits of the technology,” says Carrington. “If a turbine company approaches us to produce their parts using CMF, we can either manufacture the parts for them as a service or set them up to do their own production in-house while we provide them with the powder and support. »

With the global 3D printing market now worth nearly $5 billion and expected to reach $13 billion by 2035, according to analyst firm IDTechEx, CMF’s arrival is timely. CADmore Metal has just opened North America’s first CMF applications center, a nearly 280 square meter (3,000 square foot) facility in Colombia. SC Carrington says a larger facility will open in 2026 to make room for more material processing and equipment.