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Do you think Metal 3D Printing will replace traditional casting technology?
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Do you think Metal 3D Printing will replace traditional casting technology?

Views: 20     Author: Site Editor     Publish Time: 2018-12-31      Origin: www.fuchun-casting.com


In the last few years, metal 3D printing has become increasingly popular. One reason metal 3D printing has become such a hot topic is that parts can be serially 3D printed for mass production. In fact, some parts created with metal 3D printing are already just as good, if not better, than those manufactured by traditional methods.

 

3D printing technology has been widely used in aerospace, automobile, mould, biomedical, electronics, construction, clothing and other fields. As one of the frontier technologies, the commercial value of metal 3D printing has also been recognized by more and more people in the industry. With the help of metal 3D printing technology, the problems of low material utilization and long manufacturing cycle in traditional forging process of industrial products have been solved to a certain extent, and the flexibility of industrial products manufacturing has also been improved.


3d Printing

 

What are the advantages of metal 3D printing compared with traditional manufacturing technology?

 

1、Traditionally, parts are manufactured by moulding, casting and machining processes. The focus of these processes is how to design functions, optimization and efficiency. Because once these processes are developed, they are fixed. Any change will lead to higher costs, lower production and lower production efficiency.

Metal 3D printing differs in that it allows optimization of part design to enhance functionality, provides a dynamic production environment, allows and encourages continuous improvement and design modification, and is suitable for economical and efficient low-volume manufacturing.

 

2、In traditional manufacturing, making metal and plastic objects can be a wasteful process. Plenty of chunky parts are produced and surplus material used. When aircraft makers manufacture metal parts, up to 90% of the material is cut away. 3D printing metal parts uses less energy and reduces waste to a minimum. And finished 3D printed products can be up to 60% lighter than their machined counterparts. The aviation industry alone saves billions of dollars through this weight reduction.

 

At present, the research and development of metal 3D printing frontier technology in our country is speeding up day by day, and the industry development presents a vibrant scene. The scarcity of materials, high price, lack of professionals and other problems restrict the rapid development of the whole industry, but I believe that the final metal 3D printing will break these difficulties and produce more high-quality parts or industrial products.


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FAQS

  • What is 'multiple certification'?

    This is where a batch of steel meets more than one specification or grade. It is a way of allowing melting shops to produce stainless steel more efficiently by restricting the number of different types of steel. The chemical composition and mechanical properties of the steel can meet more than one grade within the same standard or across a number of standards. This also allows stockholders to minimise stock levels.

    For example, it is common for 1.4401 and 1.4404 (316 and 316L) to be dual certified - that is the carbon content is less than 0.030%. Steel certified to both European and US standards is also common.

  • What surface finishes are available on stainless steels?

    There are many different types of surface finish on stainless steel. Some of these originate from the mill but many are applied later during processing, for example polished, brushed, blasted, etched and coloured finishes.

    The importance of surface finish in determining the corrosion resistance of the stainless steel surface cannot be overemphasised. A rough surface finish can effectively lower the corrosion resistance to that of a lower grade of stainless steel.

  • Can I use stainless steel at high temperatures?

    Various types of stainless steel are used across the whole temperature range from ambient to 1100 deg C. The choice of grade depends on several factors:

    1. Maximum temperature of operation
    2. Time at temperature, cyclic nature of process
    3. Type of atmosphere, oxidising , reducing, sulphidising, carburising.
    4. Strength requirement

    In the European standards, a distinction is made between stainless steels and heat-resisting steels. However, this distinction is often blurred and it is useful to consider them as one range of steels.

    Increasing amounts of Chromium and silicon impart greater oxidation resistance. Increasing amounts of Nickel impart greater carburisation resistance.

  • Can I use stainless steel at low temperatures?

    Austenitic stainless steels are extensively used for service down to as low as liquid helium temperature (-269 deg C). This is largely due to the lack of a clearly defined transition from ductile to brittle fracture in impact toughness testing.

    Toughness is measured by impacting a small sample with a swinging hammer. The distance which the hammer swings after impact is a measure of the toughness. The shorter the distance, the tougher the steel as the energy of the hammer is absorbed by the sample. Toughness is measured in Joules (J). Minimum values of toughness are specified for different applications. A value of 40 J is regarded as reasonable for most service conditions.

    Steels with ferritic or martensitic structures show a sudden change from ductile (safe) to brittle (unsafe) fracture over a small temperature difference. Even the best of these steels show this behaviour at temperatures higher than -100 deg C and in many cases only just below zero.

    In contrast austenitic steels only show a gradual fall in the impact toughness value and are still well above 100 J at -196 deg C.

    Another factor in affecting the choice of steel at low temperature is the ability to resist transformation from austenite to martensite. 

  • Is stainless steel non-magnetic?

    It is commonly stated that “stainless steel is non-magnetic”. This is not strictly true and the real situation is rather more complicated. The degree of magnetic response or magnetic permeability is derived from the microstructure of the steel. A totally non-magnetic material has a relative magnetic permeability of 1. Austenitic structures are totally non-magnetic and so a 100% austenitic stainless steel would have a permeability of 1. In practice this is not achieved. There is always a small amount of ferrite and/or martensite in the steel and so permeability values are always above 1. Typical values for standard austenitic stainless steels can be in the order of 1.05 – 1.1. 

    It is possible for the magnetic permeability of austenitic steels to be changed during processing. For example, cold work and welding are liable to increase the amount of martensite and ferrite respectively in the steel. A familiar example is in a stainless steel sink where the flat drainer has little magnetic response whereas the pressed bowl has a higher response due to the formation of martensite particularly in the corners.

    In practical terms, austenitic stainless steels are used for “non-magnetic” applications, for example magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In these cases, it is often necessary to agree a maximum magnetic permeability between customer and supplier. It can be as low as 1.004.

    Martensitic, ferritic, duplex and precipitation hardening steels are magnetic.

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