Greetings, readers! Today we bring you an exciting announcement from the AM Conclave conference in Abu Dhabi. A groundbreaking new aluminium alloy powder has been unveiled, designed specifically for additive manufacturing. This innovative powder, named AMALLOY, is the brainchild of the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and marks a significant milestone as the first metal additive manufacturing feedstock developed in the Middle East.
AMALLOY is tailored for use on laser beam powder bed fusion systems and boasts a plethora of impressive qualities. Notably, this low-cost, high-strength aluminium alloy exhibits excellent printability and performance. In fact, compared to widely available AlSi10Mg alloys, AMALLOY showcases a remarkable 33% increase in strength while maintaining its ductility. This makes it an ideal choice for applications that require both lightweight properties and high strength.
However, AMALLOY’s distinctive features don’t end there. One of the alloy’s standout characteristics is its low hot crack susceptibility coefficient, owing to its unique chemical composition and metallurgical compounds. This means that despite its exceptional strength, AMALLOY is not at risk of hot cracking. Further enhancing its strength, Atom Probe Tomography has revealed nano-precipitates in the aluminum microstructure.
But strength is not the alloy’s only selling point. AMALLOY has also demonstrated impressive thermal stability, able to withstand temperatures of up to 300ºC. This makes it highly suitable for use in high-temperature environments, opening up a world of possibilities in industries such as aerospace, space exploration, oil and gas, and even nuclear power.
The success of AMALLOY is largely attributed to the Technology Innovation Institute’s integrated computational and experimental framework. This comprehensive framework encompasses alloy design, experimentation, optimization, and more, resulting in a patent filing with the US Patent Office. TII plans to leverage this framework to develop alloys for various metals and traditional manufacturing processes, paving the way for even more groundbreaking advancements.
Ultimately, the target customers for AMALLOY include global metal powder producers, who may have potential licensing opportunities. The use cases for this remarkable alloy range from aerospace and aviation components to high-strength engine brackets. In its as-printed state, AMALLOY already offers impressive properties such as high relative density, low hot crack susceptibility, Vickers hardness, yield strength, and ultimate tensile strength. However, the development framework employed by TII promises to further enhance AMALLOY, enabling the creation of high-strength aluminum alloys specifically tailored for high-temperature applications.
In conclusion, AMALLOY’s introduction to the world of additive manufacturing marks a significant advancement in the industry. With its exceptional properties and unique features, this aluminium alloy has the potential to revolutionize various sectors. We invite you to share your thoughts on this groundbreaking development by connecting with us on our Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages. And don’t forget to sign up for our weekly additive manufacturing newsletter to stay up-to-date with the latest stories delivered right to your inbox!
“Why did the 3D printer go to therapy? Because it had too many layers of unresolved issues!”
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