Today, 3D Systems announced that Elmet Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Elmet Group ("Elmet"), is deploying the DMP Flex 350 Triple metal additive manufacturing machine (laser powder bed fusion) for the rapid production of advanced aerospace parts for hypersonic vehicles. Utilizing a high-performance C103 material, the Elmet team expects to rapidly qualify and certify the system to begin production in 2026.
Image Credit: 3D Systems
High-Performance C103 Material
Elmet Technologies has spent the last 8 years with 3D Systems' Application Innovation Group (AIG), a team of expert engineers who consult, guide and assist customers with advanced development of processes and materials. As part of this work the team developed processing parameters for C103 material specifically for this deployment. C103 is a niobium-based alloy composed primarily of niobium with hafnium and titanium, designed for extreme high-temperature and aerospace applications.
"We collaborated with AIG on the parameter sets for the C103 material," said Scott Ohm, R&D Manager, Elmet Technologies. "The work was done on an earlier 3D Systems metal 3D printer and we expect that prior research work will make it very easy to begin production on the DMP 350 Flex Triple."
Selecting the DMP 350 Flex Triple
The DMP Flex 350 Triple supports a 350 x 350 x 350 mm build size, with 3 lasers for greater productivity. A best-in-class low oxygen environment maintains < 25 ppm oxygen, typically ∼0-6 ppm oxygen. This low oxygen (and other interstitial element) environment allows for exceptional powder reuse rates along with tight control of metal chemistry and superior surface finishes.
Elmet Technologies intends to use this system for the production of large heat exchangers for hypersonic vehicles. Elmet Technologies selected this advanced metal 3D printer for a number of reasons:
- Very low oxygen content maintained within the system makes it a strong choice for very high-quality, consistent and repeatable parts production using refractory metals
- The larger build size helps to meet the growing requirements of customers
- The 3-laser system can enable large production volumes, quickly
- It works with Elmet's novel in-house materials
- It is anticipated to enable fast qualification and certification
"This machine, material and process should achieve qualification within a couple of months," said Ohm. "We anticipate NASA 6030 certification a few months after that. This is very fast and indicative of the quality of this entire solution, as well as confirmation of the sound business case for collaboration 3D Systems' Aerospace and Defense experts to streamline the qualification and certification process."
Direct Production of Monolithic Metal Parts
Metal 3D printing from 3D Systems enables the design and manufacture of higher performance heat transfer structures that are accurate, complex, and leak tight with less assembly, shorter lead times, reduced costs, higher yield, and better component reliability versus legacy processes like brazing. The use of Direct Metal Printing (DMP) reduces reliance on extended supply chains and helps protect intellectual property while delivering components that cannot be produced using traditional methods including thin walls, increased surface-to-volume ratios and maximal heat transfer with acceptable pressure drop.
"This collaboration with Elmet is a standout example of using metal additive manufacturing to create new advantages in aerospace design and production," said Mike Shepard, Vice President of Aerospace & Defense, 3D Systems. "The low oxygen architecture of our DMP series metal additive machines is ideal for manufacture of complex components from highly reactive metals, like C103 and other refractory alloys."
Securing the Supply Chain
By integrating in-house materials with 3D Systems' DMP Flex 350 Triple, Elmet is working to secure its supply chain for the US defense industrial base, enabling fast, tool-free localized production of advanced aerospace parts.