Technology of laser 3D printing of metal structures

2023: Product Announcement

On October 30, 2023, British researchers from the University of Cambridge announced the development of a new 3D printing technology that allows you to create metal products with strength like after a blacksmith hammer. It is assumed that the proposed method will help reduce the cost of 3D printing with metal, which, in turn, will increase the stability of the metal processing industry.

The project was attended by specialists from Singapore, Switzerland, Finland and Australia. Since the Bronze Age, metal objects have been made by heating and forging, scientists note. This approach, in which the material is treated with a blacksmith's hammer and fire, allows the metal to be shaped as desired and at the same time endowed with the desired physical properties, in particular, strength (explained by a change in the internal structure). However, one of the main disadvantages of modern 3D printing methods is the inability to control the internal structure of the material. The new technology solves this problem.

British researchers report on the development of a new 3D printing technology

The researchers found that the laser could be used as a "microscopic hammer" to increase the strength of the metal during 3D printing. The proposed method makes it possible to control the internal structure of the material with high accuracy during its melting with a laser. By changing the method of solidification of the substance after melting and the amount of heat generated during this process, it is possible to "program" the properties of the final article. The final structure is created when a 3D printed metal part is placed in a blacksmith oven at a relatively low temperature.

In the future, we also hope that we can do without low-temperature treatment in the furnace, which will further reduce the number of steps required before using 3D printed parts in engineering applications, says Dr. Matteo Seita, one of the authors of the work.[1]

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