™
ExOne Qualifies Aluminum Binder Jet 3D Printing With Ford
ExOne and Ford have announced the automotive industry's first binder jet 3D printing and high-density sintering of aluminum
This is a historic achievement for science and manufacturing
This aluminum engine block model, 3D printed in 6061, demonstrates the high resolution and geometric control that can beproduced in a new patent-pending binder jet 3D printing and sintering process developed by Ford and ExOne.
- New patent-pending process developed by ExOne and Ford for binder jetting aluminum 6061, one of the most commonly used aluminum alloys in the world, delivers final parts with 99% density and material properties comparable to traditional manufacturing
- This new process will unlock new opportunities in manufacturing, the most significant of these being the ability to lightweight a wide range of products
- The global R&D community has been pursuing the goal of precision sintering of bound aluminum forms for more than a decade, in an effort to improve the sustainability and performance of a wide range of products
- This rapid and reliable process for future production of aluminum parts is much faster than other 3D printing methods and capable of scaling to the volumes needed for automotive use
- Ford and ExOne are actively working on designs to use the new material and process
- ExOne has now qualified 23 metal, ceramic and sand materials for use on its binder jetting printers. With the addition of aluminum, that now includes 12 single-alloy metals. Titanium is now fast-tracked for qualification in partnership with a global medical device company