H.C. Starck Tantalum and Niobium introduces AMtrinsic metal powder range for additive manufacturing
H.C. Starck Tantalum and Niobium GmbH will be launching a new range of atomized tantalum and niobium (Ta/Nb) powders and their alloys under the brand name AMtrinsic. The products will be available by the November 1st, 2019. AMtrinsic® powders are designed specifically for metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes.
“With this new brand, we express our approach to providing powders that allow combining the unique intrinsic material properties of tantalum and niobium and their alloys with the geometric design freedom offered by additive manufacturing technologies.” – Dr. Melanie Stenzel, Head of Marketing and new Business Development.
The powder systems under the new brand AMtrinsic® include elemental Ta/Nb powders and range from binary over complex “multinary” to high-entropy alloys also in customer-specific compositions. Besides Ta and Nb, alloying elements include e.g. Ti, Zr, Hf, Mo, W, V, Sn, Al but are not limited to those. The powder portfolio is constantly extended to provide alloy compositions with unique intrinsic properties, creating the next generation of materials for AM.
The atomized spherical Nb and Ta powders, and their alloys, open up new opportunities. Due to the unique intrinsic properties of tantalum and niobium, such as high melting points, high corrosion resistance, and excellent chemical resistance, as well as high thermal and electrical conductivity, Ta/Nb, or alloys containing those elements, are suitable for a wide range of high-tech applications, e.g. chemical processing, superconductors, energy, or high-temperature environments.
Moreover, additively-manufactured Ta/Nb containing alloys are a promising alternative for the optimization of mechanical and biological performance parameters in medical implants. Multinary alloy compositions, or high-entropy alloys containing Ta/Nb, are thereby especially of interest for the design of completely new intrinsic material properties which can provide superior solutions in challenging applications, especially when combined with the freedom to build complex structures in AM processes.
AMtrinsic® powders are characterized by excellent flowability, high tap density, a perfectly spherical shape, and narrow particle-size distribution, which is very important for application in AM technologies including but not limited to Laser Beam Melting, Electron Beam Melting, or Laser Metal Deposition.
H.C. Starck Tantalum and Niobium GmbH will present the brand AMtrinsic® at the upcoming 3D-Printing trade fair Formnext in Frankfurt (19-22 November 2019).
“We are very much looking forward to taking this exciting step to further strengthen our position in the field of additive manufacturing and continuous powder developments with our customers and research partners.” – Dr. Kazuyuki Marukawa, Vice Chairman of H.C. Starck Tantalum and Niobium GmbH.
