{"id":4360,"date":"2015-06-09T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2015-06-09T12:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/?p=4360"},"modified":"2026-04-16T20:06:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T20:06:13","slug":"welcome-the-next-phase-in-the-3d-printing-craze-metal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/welcome-the-next-phase-in-the-3d-printing-craze-metal\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome the Next Phase in the 3D Printing Craze: Metal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"metal<\/a>3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a process by which thousands of thinly sliced horizontal cross sections of material are layered in succession to make\u00a0 a solid, three dimensional object. The placement of the layers is determined by a Computer Aided Design (CAD) file which is used to create a 3D model. 3D printers use different technologies to create the layers, depending on the material being printed.<\/p>\n

3D printing began with plastics<\/a>. 3D printing with metal was once cost-prohibitive but today, selective laser sintering (SLS), direct metal laser sintering\u00a0(DMLS), fused deposition modeling (FDM), selective laser melting (SLM), and electron beam melting (EBM) are some 3D printing technologies for metal that, in some applications, may be more efficient than some traditional manufacturing methods while producing a comparable, if not better, product. DMLS, for example, is able to create very complex geometries\u00a0quickly and is being applied to the manufacture of jet engine parts that can be difficult to produce using conventional methods. The DMLS technique is also able to handle a wider range of alloys to create stronger, more durable parts.<\/p>\n

Metal 3D printing is advancing because the materials used in the process are also evolving. Metal powders tailored to specific 3D printing technologies are emerging rapidly as the many applications in the aerospace, automotive\u00a0 and other industries become clear. Formulations include some grades of stainless steel, low alloy steels, and nickel and cobalt alloys.<\/p>\n

An article published on 3ders.org<\/a> reported the development of a low-cost titanium<\/a> powder that can be used to 3D print automotive parts and aerospace and defense components. The process uses electrolysis to turn rutile (titanium dioxide) directly into powdered titanium which can be refined for purity, morphology and alloying elements. The site also reports that in 2014, an industrial 3D printer maker\u00a0introduced two new metal materials<\/a>:<\/p>\n