NanoSteel Demonstrates Breakthrough in Additive-Manufactured Wear Materials

The NanoSteel® Company has announced the successful expansion of the company’s engineered powders business into additive manufacturing. By leveraging its uniform metal matrix microstructures in the laser-sintering process, the company was able to build a crack-free, fully dense bulk sample. NanoSteel’s initial focus in additive manufacturing supports the market need for on-demand, on-site wear parts while addressing the current challenges in 3D printing of high-hardness parts.

NanoSteel’s breakthrough overcomes one of the major hurdles to achieving a high-hardness metallic partthrough additive manufacturing—the tendency to develop cracks during part builds. The company worked with a global process development partner to optimize processing of a proprietary NanoSteel alloy with a high volume fraction of borocarbide phases. This successfully produced a fully dense (99.9%) crack-free part with hardness values over 1000 HV, wear resistance comparable to conventionally manufactured M2 tool steels, and a uniform microstructure. Importantly, these properties were achieved without the need for post-processing such as hot isostatic pressing (HIP) or further heat treatment, reducing production cost and lead times.

“Currently, the material options to produce highly wear-resistant parts through additive manufacturing are limited” said Harald Lemke, NanoSteel’s General Manager of Engineered Powders. “By extending the reach of steel into markets currently served by WC-Co, ceramics, and other non-ferrous metal matrix metal composites, NanoSteel has the potential to generate cost-efficient wear parts to serve the tooling, mining, energy, and transportation industries in applications such as pumps, bearings, and cutting tools.”

Source: NanoSteel