Making 3D printing viable on an industrial scale Tuesday, 08 September 2015

Alcoa has unveiled its Ampliforge process, a technique combining advanced materials, designs and additive and traditional manufacturing processes.

Using the Ampliforge process, Alcoa designs and 3D-prints a near complete part, then treats it using a traditional manufacturing process, such as forging.

The process can enhance the properties of 3D-printed parts, such as increasing toughness and strength, versus parts made solely by additive manufacturing. Further, the Ampliforge process reduces material input and simplifies production relative to traditional forging processes.

Alcoa is expanding its R&D center in Pennsylvania to accelerate the development of advanced 3D-printing materials and processes.

Alcoa will produce materials designed specifically for a range of additive technologies to meet increasing demand for complex, high-performance 3D-printed parts for aerospace and other high-growth markets such as automotive, medical and building and construction.

The $60 million expansion is under construction at the Alcoa Technical Center, the world’s largest light metals research center in Pennsylvania.

Alcoa’s material scientists will produce proprietary aluminium, titanium and nickel powders designed specifically for 3D-printing. These powders will be tailored for various additive manufacturing processes to produce higher strength 3D-printed parts, and meet other quality and performance requirements.

Direct production of 3D-printed metal parts represents a new way to manufacture aerospace components and will require a new suite of design tools to realise its full potential.

The company owns and operates one of the world’s largest HIP (hot isostatic pressing) complexes in aerospace, a technology that strengthens the metallic structures of traditional and additive manufactured parts made of titanium and nickel based super-alloys.

Through the recent RTI acquisition, Alcoa gained 3D printing capabilities in titanium, other specialty metals and plastics for the aerospace, oil and gas and medical markets.

[Image: Alcoa’s hot isostatic pressing technology strengthens the metallic structure of titanium, nickel and 3D-printed jet engine parts.]