H.C. Starck Solutions has partnered with Rapid Prototype and Manufacturing (rp+m), to develop novel, sophisticated products by combining the latest 3D printing technology with H.C. Starck Solutions' refractory metals.
This partnership with rp+m extends the capabilities of H.C. Starck Solutions, placing them in an ideal situation to provide components to a range of industries, from medical devices to security imaging.
The partners will develop novel technology materials and alloys for use with additive manufacturing methods, which offer numerous benefits for the design of advanced products.
For instance, with 3D printing, a single-piece tungsten or molybdenum component for medical imaging equipment can be created to highly precise specifications, much more efficiently than with conventional methods. Additive manufacturing also offers the capability to quickly develop prototype products, which can be translated to production levels easily.
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A 3D-printed collimator
Rapid Prototyping
Using 3D printing and other additive manufacturing techniques, it is possible to design a product and create a sample in a fraction of the time taken when compared to conventional manufacturing.
Complex components made from refractory metals like tungsten or molybdenum can be made in a simple process, eliminating production techniques such as sintering and pressing of powder, machining, rolling and assembly. This makes the process more efficient, and allows seamless delivery of the final product to customers.
It is possible to create 3D printed components as a single piece from a 3D model. By selectively depositing a liquid agent to bond the powder, metal components can be printed simultaneously from a variety of materials. With this capability, the product range available from H.C. Starck Solutions can be expanded to include 3D lead-free products for collimators and anti-scatter grids for CT scanners, SPECT and gamma cameras.
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Additive Manufacturing
H.C. Starck Solutions is a prominent premium supplier of the technology metals, tantalum, molybdenum, rhenium, niobium, thermal spray powders and high-performance ceramics with considerable expertise in metallurgical and technical processes.
Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is an emerging technology ideally suited for the manufacture of low-weight, high-stability components with complex geometric structures.
It enables design freedom to create 3D objects that can't be made in a single piece by traditional methods, resulting in completely novel methods for producing customized components and structural elements with unique properties.
H.C. Starck Solutions offers high-alloyed metal powder solutions under the brand name AMPERSINT® for the specific requirements of all additive manufacturing processes, such as:
- Selective laser sintering (SLS)
- Selective laser melting (SLM)
- Electron beam melting (EBM)
- Direct metal deposition (DMD)
- Rapid prototyping (RP)
- Rapid manufacturing (RM)
- 3D printing (3DP)
The key benefits of AMPERSINT® gas atomized metal powders are:
- Perfectly spherical powder shape
- Excellent reproducibility
- Good flowability
- Low oxide levels
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by H.C. Starck Solutions.
For more information on this source, please visit H.C. Starck Solutions.