Additive Manufacturing

Project Description: 

Our printer is an office-friendly metal 3D printing system. It shapes a green part layer by layer by extruding metal rods, which are metal powder held together by polymer binders. The part is then debound in a fluid and sintered near melting temperature, so the metal particles fuse and densify. Unlike laser-based systems, it works like an FDM printer, which removes many of the safety requirements of metal 3D printing. The workflow has three stages: print, debind, sinter.

Applications
  • Rapid prototyping
  • Manufacturing, tooling, automotive, electronics
  • Low-volume custom end-use parts
  • Accelerator parts
Specifications
  • Print technology: Bound Metal Deposition or Material Extrusion
  • Dual quick-release print heads, with a 400-micron standard nozzle and a 250-micron high-resolution nozzle
  • Materials across the printer availability include Steels, Copper, Inconel and Titanium
  • Sintered density: 96–99.8%
Advantages
  • Minimum material waste compared to traditional methods
  • No lasers or loose powder, so it suits office environments
  • Ability to print hard geometries
  • Web-based software builds the plan from STL/CAD files and generates supports automatically
Limitations
  • Maximum part size is limited to the 300 × 200 × 200 mm build envelope
  • Maximum build weight is 6.5 kg in the green state
  • Parts shrink noticeably during sintering, which the software compensates
  • Multi-step post-processing (debinding and sintering) is required before parts are finished
Status
  • operation/use
  • research
  • realization
Patents

Contact Person:

Dr. Hamlet Isunts, PhD

Position:

Head of Engineering-Technological Department

E-email: isunts@candle.am
Phone: +37494464884