At PTR Group, our 3D metal printers build parts by adding material one layer at a time based on a digital 3D design.
Parts can be built with geometries that are normally impossible to manufacture with “traditional” CNC machining or Metal Casting technologies. 3D metal printers do not have a need for specialized tooling such as a mold.
Benefits of 3D Metal Printing
Design Flexibility – No specific tooling or mold is needed to create geometries that are normally impossible to manufacture through other processes.
Lightweight Structures – 3D printing paired with advanced CAD techniques always provides a lightweight solution.
Increased Part Functionality – Parts with internal structures can be manufactured to increase efficiency of operations for other industrial processes.
Merge Assemblies into a Single Part – Merging assemblies eliminates the need for fasteners and results in parts that can serve multiple functions at once.
Reduced Number of Steps – The total number of steps to 3D metal print a product can be reduced to five steps or less instead of the normal 20 or more.
Durable Material Properties – The materials used in 3D metal printing have the strength comparable to wrought metal and industries such as aerospace are in demand of these materials.
Materials Utilized for 3D Metal Printing
The metal available for 3D metal printing is rapidly growing. Manufacturing facilities can select from the following alloys:
- Stainless steel
- Tool steels
- Titanium alloys
- Aluminum alloys
- Nickel-based superalloys
- Cobalt-chrome alloys
- Copper-based alloys
- Precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, etc.)
- Exotic metals (palladium, tantalum, etc.)
Conformal Cooling for
Your 3D Metal Prints
Conformal cooling uses 3D metal printing to add cooling channels that naturally conform to the contours of the part. These cooling channels maintain uniform cooling throughout the mold. Conformal cooling provides several production benefits, including:
- Uniform Cooling Rates – improve mold coverage, closer adherence to specified tolerances, and quality assurance.
- Reduced Cooling Rates – lead to reduced production cycle times.
- Cooling Predictability – using conformal cooling allows for improved mold design when integrated with mold flow analysis.
- Complex Mold Design Capacity – results from improved cooling control.
The 3D metal printing/conformal cooling program allows for turns in cooling channels, which would otherwise be limited to a single plane.
Customers see significant improvements when working with our engineering team on these modern solutions:
- Shorter cycle times
- Less heat build-up in center of the product
- Less downtime for assembly
- Bottom-line cost reduction
- Reduce potential for flashes or distortions
- Better quality output
Request additional information about our 3D metal printing.