Desktop Metal Adds D2 Tool Steel to Production System’s Line of 3D Printing Materials

Metal desk added another material to its list of qualified metals for its additive manufacturing production system.

The company announced that D2 tool steel, which has been qualified in accordance with ASTM testing requirements, will join 420 stainless steel, IN625 nickel alloy, 4140 low alloy steel, 316L stainless steel and 17-4PH stainless steel in the materials of its production system. wallet.

“Our materials science team is constantly working to develop new materials and processes to make 3D printing accessible to all industries and applications,” said Jonah Myerberg, co-founder and CTO of Desktop Metal. “We are meeting the demand of our customers in the manufacturing and industrial industries for materials such as D2 tool steel which enable the production of critical forming and cutting tools, and in various other applications where high hardness is valued. .”

D2 tool steel is said to be a general purpose high carbon, high chromium tool steel characterized by high hardness and compressive strength after heat treatment. This tool steel also offers extremely high properties of wear resistance, dimensional stability and corrosion resistance in the hardened state. Using the material with Desktop Metal’s Single Pass Jetting (SPJ) technology, users can now 3D print parts for high strength, high temperature applications such as cold working metal forming tools, dies and punches as well as injection molds with compliant cooling channels. .

Highlighting the materials ease of use in heavy industry applications, Desktop Metal shared how the material can be used for cams used in oil and gas or chemical processing applications to convert rotary motion reciprocating linear motion in a machine. Compared to the traditional manufacturing method, cams can be produced in one step to reduce both parts cost and time, and facilitate the production of many sizes of cams in one build, without the need for fixtures or tools. Desktop Metal claims that D2 tool steel is essential for this application due to its hardness and corrosion resistance, which ensures longer life as the cam mechanically interacts with a sliding pin. Additionally, as these components are often incorporated into machines operating in harsh environments, the corrosion resistance provided by D2 ensures that the parts will perform as intended and will not deteriorate.

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