Dr. Ulrich Schmidt and Dr. Moritz Roscher, Business Line Functional Applications, explain the key areas in which we are expanding our portfolio of high-strength Al- and Ti-based alloys for additive manufacturing:
Schmidt: "Following the acquisition of the British company Aluminum Materials Technologies Ltd (AMT), we were able to successfully position ourselves on the AM market as a developer and supplier of A20X. A20X is a lightweight aluminum-based powder derived from the aerospace approved (MMPDS) A205 alloy."
Since it is one of the most widely used AM processes, it made sense for us to develop high-strength aluminum alloys that are compatible with Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). The problem is that the susceptibility of conventional high-strength aluminum alloys to hot cracking and generally poor processability have made it difficult to use high-strength aluminum alloys in the laser powder bed fusion process.
"With the help of our A20X, we were able to develop a product solution," says Roscher. The unique chemical composition of A20X contains ceramic TiB2 particles that modify the solidification mechanism, resulting in a completely fine-grained microstructure. "The material is not susceptible to solidification cracking and can be processed on any commercially available LPBF machine."