- Proprietary OPM technology delivers fully functional, end-use 3D-printed parts with specific strength equivalent to high performance aluminum alloys
South Windsor, CT, May 18,2017 – Oxford Performance Materials, Inc. (OPM), a leader in advanced materials science and high performance additive manufacturing (HPAM™), today announced the commercial launch of nickel-plated OXFAB®–Ni, offering 3D-printed PEKK-based parts that replace high performance aluminum alloys for aerospace and industrial applications.
OPM’s OXFAB® technology is ideally suited for highly demanding end-market aerospace, satellite and defense applications where functional complexity and weight reduction can have a substantial and positive impact on performance, while also yielding cost and energy savings. OXFAB® structures offer significant weight, cost and time-to-market reductions that are defined in a set of specified performance attributes in the exhaustive OPM B-Basis database, developed in conjunction with NASA and Northrop Grumman.
“We are very pleased to commercially launch OXFAB-Ni as this proprietary technology builds on our existing product portfolio to provide our customers with a new high performance additive manufacturing solution,” said Lawrence Varholak, President of OPM Aerospace & Industrial. “With the launch of OXFAB–Ni, OPM can now offer our aerospace and industrial customers nickel-plated, fully functional end-use 3D-printed structural parts with a flexural strength-to-weight ratio equivalent to high performance titanium alloys such as 6AL-4V.”
The principal material of construction for OXFAB–Ni is OPM’s proprietary PEKK (poly-ether-ketone-ketone) formulation, OXPEKK®. This high performance polymeric material has an extraordinary range of benefits that include robust mechanical performance, extreme temperature tolerance, high purity, gamma stability, and extremely high chemical resistance.
Key performance characteristics of OXFAB–Ni include:
- Same weight & strength as high performance aluminum alloys
- Effective shield against radiation
- Near limitless shape
- 375°F capable
- Rapid manufacture
OXFAB is an elegant merger of the world’s highest performance thermoplastic and the world’s most robust and advanced additive manufacturing technology. This results in industrial structures that meet or significantly exceed the performance expectations in multiple industrial sectors, including aviation, defense, energy, semiconductor and nuclear.
About Oxford Performance Materials, Inc.
A recognized leader in advanced materials science, Oxford Performance Materials Inc. (OPM) was founded in 2000 to exploit and commercialize the world’s highest performing thermoplastics, with a focus on poly-ether-ketone-ketone (PEKK). OPM develops proprietary material, process and application technologies and applies high performance additive manufacturing (HPAM™) to produce fully functional end-use structural parts.
The Company has three strategic business units: OPM Materials develops proprietary OXPEKK® thermoplastic products and other materials for biomedical, aerospace and industrial applications. OPM Aerospace & Industrial produces 3D printed OXFAB® production parts for highly demanding aerospace, satellite and defense applications. OXFAB® structures offer significant weight, cost and time-to-market reductions that are defined in a set of specified performance attributes in the exhaustive OPM B-Basis database, developed in conjunction with NASA and Northrop Grumman. OPM Biomedical is a pioneer in personalized medicine, 3D printing OsteoFab® cranial and facial implants as an OEM, and its SpineFab® line on a contract manufacturing basis. OPM Biomedical is the first and only company to receive FDA 510(k) clearance to manufacture 3D printed patient-specific polymeric implants, and has a total of four 510(k) clearances in its portfolio. For more information, please visit: www.oxfordpm.com
Source: Oxford Performance Materials, Inc.
