‘Defect-free, industrial-grade carbides’ can be additively manufactured using a softening-not-melting approach devised by Hiroshima scientists.
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Scientists based at Hiroshima University have devised a novel way to 3D print one of hardest engineering materials used by industry.
Ultra-hard materials are very attractive for cutting and construction tools, yet their innate toughness makes them very difficult to additively manufacture, successfully. Rising to the challenge, Japanese researchers have managed to make use of super-tough tungsten carbide–cobalt (WC–Co) material in additive manufacturing “by softening them rather than fully melting them” during the process. Moreover, the research team asserts that this new 3D printing tech reduces waste compared to traditional manufacturing.
The Hiroshima University blog describes the WC-Co 3D printing process as a ‘hot-wire irradiation method.’ It is claimed that using this hot-wire laser irradiation (also called laser hot-wire welding) technique a laser beam softens a cemented carbide rod, without fully melting it and causing grain growth, to build an additive manufactured structure. Then, to achieve the best results, a nickel alloy-based middle layer was inserted between additive layers.
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/3d-printing-with-one-of-the-worlds-hardest-tungsten-based-materials-is-now-possible-materials-incredible-hardness-made-it-difficult-to-additively-manufacture#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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