Create aluminum alloy powder specially designed for additive manufacturing
“Equispheres” official website
According to foreign media Reported that recently, the materials science company “ Equispheres ” was awarded US $ 30 million in Series B financing , This round of financing was led by HG Ventures, with the participation of the Canadian Sustainable Development Technology Unit (SDTC), BDC, Canadian Entrepreneur Bank and other undisclosed investors.
“Equispheres” is a materials science company, led by President and CEO Kevin Nicholds, focusing on applications of 3D printing technology .
3D metal printing is suitable for engineering and manufacturing applications, especially in the automotive and aerospace fields, because metal materials are more durable, lightweight, and resistant to high temperatures. However, most of the metal powders produced by the two-fluid gas atomization process today are inconsistent, which can cause internal defects in 3D printed finished products.
“Equispheres” aims to solve this problem and make the entire 3D metal printing process more controllable. High-performance single-size powder-metal 3D printing powder, is the company’s main product, this metal powder has a high consistency, can design and manufacture more robust, lighter, more innovative high-performance aerospace And automotive metal parts.
Its The powder is spherical, does not agglomerate and there is no fine powder, and can smoothly roll under the powder bed blade and roller, thereby greatly improving the spreadability.
In the manufacturing process of powder bed additives, round and smooth particles can move more freely than irregularly shaped particles, and irregularly shaped particles will knot Block and prevent uniform layer deposition, but these particles can be found and removed in the standard atomized powder, so that the final product has a good surface finish and better mechanical properties.
McGill University recently conducted a comparative test of powders of different companies using standard flow test technology. The results show that the powder flow speed of “Equispheres” is the powder of other competing companies 2.5 times.
Irregular particles will affect the packing density. The powder of “Equispheres” is denser and can complete the work more evenly. The company stated that the spreading density achievable in a realistically manufactured powder bed is the same as the density in a laboratory and is 30% higher than that of a competing company.
The common problem of metal powder is the thickness of the oxide layer. A thicker oxide layer will result in poorer mechanical properties of the final part. However, a powder with a thinner oxide layer tends to absorb a lot of water, which is a problem It will also have a negative impact. However, the powder of “Equispheres” has both a thin oxide layer and a low water absorption rate.
Tests conducted by McGill University have shown that the powder thickness of “Equispheres” is half that of its competitors, but the water absorption rate is only one third. This can effectively reduce powder preparation and improve product performance.
“Equispheres” official website
In addition to producing metal powders, the R & D personnel of “Equispheres” will also study metallurgical technology and provide engineering services in the field of alloy development.
Next, “Equispheres” intends to use the new round of financing to expand the scale of production. Specifically, the company will focus on the following aspects. First, Equispheres improve the reactor to increase production and reduce costs. In addition, it wants to collaborate with strategic partners in the automotive, aerospace, and defense industries to accelerate research and development projects. “Equispheres” also Hiring more talents to improve the quality of work.