“This isn’t the only of matters,” begins Peter Henning, Director of Advertising & Gross sales at Quintus Applied sciences, an organization that has been specialising in excessive strain applied sciences for half a century.
Round a decade in the past, the Swedish firm underwent a rebrand, adopting the identify ‘Quintus’ in a nod to a secret 1947 undertaking, code named below the corporate’s founding ASEA moniker, which led to the invention of a warmth and strain course of for the manufacturing of artificial diamonds. It was round that very same time in 2015 that the corporate additionally started to noticeably flip its consideration to a different rising trade the place it felt its expertise might provide a major benefit: additive manufacturing (AM).
“We began to debate with our clients what our expertise might provide them by way of worth,” Henning advised TCT. “We elevated our consciousness and competence and we began to construct not solely a really sturdy skilled group in machine constructing, but additionally a group of fabric scientists that might apply these options to a machine and convey actual buyer worth.”
Up till that time, the corporate had provided lab model gear to the AM market, however because the demand for AM as an end-use manufacturing course of grew, and conversations continued, Quintus determined to develop a high-pressure warmth remedy expertise that could possibly be deployed by industrial AM customers, and mix the advantages of high-speed cooling with temperature uniformity,
“Our gear can do what you usually do in two totally different processes,” Henning defined. “So it has apparent benefits, not solely monetary or sustainable, but additionally velocity.”
Finally, what Quintus was providing to the AM market, as Henning describes it, was an answer to go from “printed product to a functioning, real-life software.”
Whereas Quintus had established itself in Scorching Isostatic Urgent (HIP), a course of used to eradicate the porosity in metals and ceramics to enhance their mechanical properties, AM’s distinctive calls for meant there was work to be carried out round how the standard HIP course of works for AM and how one can apply it.
“HIPing is a recognized expertise to many within the trade and it’s utilized very late within the course of,” Henning defined. “However there are such a lot of benefits to our expertise that aren’t actually integrated within the setup.”
The distinctive, as printed, microstructures of metallic AM components require totally different remedy concerns. Whereas printing may be optimised to maximise half density earlier than an element even leaves the construct plate, HIP makes use of very popular fuel below very excessive isostatic strain to behave on all surfaces and inner constructions on even probably the most advanced AM components.
“You possibly can design a course of for the ultimate step of HIPing,” Henning defined. “These merchandise, typically, come out significantly better. You must suppose what does your whole course of appear like? Individuals are investing some huge cash in course of steps that don’t essentially contribute to the efficiency of the entire product.”
Stresses, porosity, cracking; these are all challenges that HIP goals to take away from additive components whereas enhancing ductility, fracture toughness, elongation and fatigue life. Nickel-based alloys may be tough to print with out cracking, and even in case you had been to print components with a excessive stage of density, there’s nonetheless a danger that porosities will happen. However HIP can be utilized to take away these defects.
“For AM we are likely to see plenty of excessive performing alloys put into difficult purposes the place there is a excessive diploma of geometric complexity,” Henning stated. “It is advisable do it proper. Simply because it’s HIPed in a technique for a solid product, does not imply that that is the best option to get the utmost out of a printed half.”
Quintus’ HIP expertise is being utilized to a variety of high-performance purposes, notably in industries like aerospace, medical and area, the latter of which is turning into a “important half” of the enterprise and “actually contributing quantity of components.” Demand from these verticals is mirroring that of the AM trade itself: greater components, made quicker. As print construct volumes get greater, the potential of AM-ready HIP gear must comply with and Quintus is continuous to develop with the identical efficiency however at a bigger scale.
“We’re engineering one thing for a better efficiency charge but it surely must be used [correctly],” Henning stated. “Everyone seems to be attempting to switch one half by making it a brand new manner however the true profit is while you use the flexibleness of AM quite than attempting to switch a cast or solid half.”
Greater components are one factor, the following frontier is new supplies. Printing of aluminium is rising however its excessive cooling charges may be tough to ship inside a standard quenching setting. Quintus says it’s already engaged on low temperature options and high quality tuning its course of to reply to these purposes. The subsequent step is to scale.
“I am satisfied the very best is but to come back on the subject of AM,” Henning concludes. “We’re very dedicated to this trade.”
Additive’s greatest ally
For Hiperbaric, having stored an in depth eye on HIP for a while, it was the promise of AM, bolstered by the design and manufacturing synergies between its flagship Excessive Stress Processing (HPP) expertise for the meals trade and HIP, that inspired the growth of its personal expertise in 2018 with the AM market in thoughts.
“Essentially the most demanding industrial sectors – medical implants, aeronautics, nuclear, army – are already benefiting from some great benefits of AM and HIP, and the synergy between the 2 ideas supplies a solution to all of the technical and productive necessities of those industries,” Rubén García, HIP Venture Supervisor at Hiperbaric advised TCT.
García provides up examples of automotive components the place HIP has supplied one other stage of confidence partially properties and reliability, and clients like Aenium Engineering, for who Hiperbaric’s HIP expertise has grow to be a “decisive device” for certifying supplies and components with the strictest high quality and security controls for the area sector. Whereas
Hiperbaric’s 1 metre HIP unit means half measurement isn’t a problem – and it’s at the moment creating a good greater system – he notes that there are some limitations for HIPing AM.
“Elements with sandwich construction configuration usually are not eligible for HIP for the reason that inside is a mesh construction and it’ll collapse throughout remedy as a consequence of excessive strain,” García defined. “Superior ceramics current a problem not just for HIP but additionally for AM. These supplies reminiscent of silicon carbide, silicon nitride or boron carbide push the HIP gear to operation restrict which is to 2000 °C / 2000 bar and at this vary the furnace element endure extreme degradation.”
But García believes HIP provides “huge potential” for brand spanking new AM purposes and supplies. Hiperbaric is at the moment engaged on an R&D undertaking, DioSiC, which makes use of HIP to enhance polycrystalline silicon substrates from Spark Plasma Sintering. Treating silicon carbide (SiC) with HIP is claimed to considerably enhance its properties by eliminating any doable defects in polycrystalline SiC wafers. Solidifying that perception in AM even additional, Hiperbaric has additionally adopted AM in- home to enhance the performance of fan and warmth exchangers for the Quick Cooling expertise inside its HIP programs.
As AM adoption progresses, García believes HIP has an vital position. The long run integration of AM to cut back prices for strong state batteries, for instance, might see HIP utilized to densify and consolidate totally different elements. As we speak, for printed elements in satellites, rockets and their respective engines, turbomachines and burners, the affect of HIP is already being felt.
“There are strategic supplies and elements within the area sector that may solely be manufactured by AM in a particular manner,” García stated. “The important thing to that is Hiperbaric’s HIP expertise, which permits supplies to be cooled in a short time utilizing Quick Cooling expertise, particularly in supplies whose capabilities could also be impaired if they aren’t cooled shortly.
“That is the place HIP turns into AM’s greatest ally.”
