BOSTON/September 13, 2022 — Desktop Metal announced that nickel alloy Inconel 625 (IN625) has been qualified on the Shop System, a metal binder jet system, making the material a qualified material across its entire portfolio.
In all, IN625 is now qualified for:
- Production System™ models including the P-1 and P-50, metal binder jetting systems built for high-speed, high-volume production featuring proprietary Single Pass Jetting (SPJ) technology. Offers high output and low part costs in a wide range of materials.
- Shop System, a plug-and-play turnkey binder jet 3D printing system that reduces costs, shortens lead times and increases revenues for machine shops.
- X-Series models, such as the InnoventX, an entry-level system, and the X25Pro, a mid-sized binder jet system featuring Triple ACT (advanced compaction technology) for low to mid-volume production.
- Studio System™ 2, a turnkey metal Bound Metal Deposition™ (BMD) platform that offers customers the easiest way to print high-performance metal parts in low volumes for pre-production and end-use applications. A two-step print-and-sinter process.
In all, Desktop Metal systems now offer users 18 qualified materials, including stainless steels, tool steels, nickel alloys, precious metals, copper and more. Another 12 materials are available for printing by R&D professionals or in development for qualification, including aluminum 6061 and titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V (Ti64).
“Manufacturers looking to produce complex geometries in IN625 now have a one-stop shop for efficient Additive Manufacturing 2.0 production,” said Ric Fulop, Founder and CEO of Desktop Metal. “IN625 is a very difficult material to machine, but our technology truly makes it easy. We are proud of the work our world-leading material and process teams have done ensuring that this popular material can be offered across our portfolio.”
IN625 for High-Strength, High-Performance Flexibility
IN625 is a high-performance nickel alloy known for high levels of strength, temperature resistance, and corrosion resistance — making it a popular material choice for applications in the aerospace, chemical processing, and offshore energy industries.
However, the strength of IN625 is also what makes it a difficult and expensive material to machine into complex shapes. The process typically requires a skilled machinist and special CNC cutting tools, strategies and coolants to shape. It’s not uncommon for cutting tools to be broken or deformed when milling Inconel stock or for the material to deform when the outer layer hardens too quickly in response to machining.
Producing IN625 parts with additive manufacturing is fast, safe and more cost-effective than subtractive machining from stock for this class of material. Users can directly print and sinter final, end-use parts or near-net shape parts that can be precision machined for key surfaces with ease.
