Equispheres enters supplier agreement with 3D Systems
Offering North American made aluminum powder for metal additive manufacturing
Equispheres Inc. has entered into a supplier agreement with 3D Systems, enabling the use of Equispheres’ North American-made aluminum powder with 3D Systems’ DMP Flex 350 and DMP Factory 350 systems. This agreement allows 3D Systems’ customers to take advantage of Equispheres’ high-performance aluminum powder with 3D Systems’ printing parameters.
“We are very excited about this supplier agreement with a partner that has such deep knowledge of 3D printing. Our materials print significantly faster than traditional aluminum powders, which dramatically lowers part production time and per-part costs,” says Evan Butler-Jones, Vice-President Product & Strategy for Equispheres. “When combined with 3D Systems’ expertise in applications and its DMP Flex 350 and DMP Factory 350 printers, customers can expect to push past previous limitations related to speed and repeatability.”
During testing, it was shown that it is possible to achieve up to 50% productivity gains and an average density of 99.8% with a build rate of 49.7cc/hr at 60µm layer thickness on the DMP Flex 350. The material will enable customers to explore faster printing speeds when producing automotive and aerospace parts, such as lighter brackets and supports, heat exchangers, and passive RF hardware.
“We are pleased to enter this supplier agreement with a North American company such as Equispheres,” said Marty Johnson, vice president, product & technical fellow, 3D Systems. “As a leading additive manufacturing solutions provider, we value the opportunity to work with up-and-coming companies. Equispheres has developed an interesting material that enables 3D Systems’ customers to produce high-quality parts when used with our DMP Flex 350 and DMP Factory 350 printers. We look forward to seeing how this can help push the boundaries for production applications.”
Aluminum is valued in additive manufacturing for its lightweight and heat transfer capabilities. The consistent size and unique characteristics of Equispheres’ powders ensure consistent mechanical properties, making the material suitable for applications that require precision and repeatability.
Aluminum powder has applications in motorsports, automotive production, aerospace, defense and the energy sector. For manufacturers like these requiring a secure North American supply chain for their metal powder feedstock, Equispheres’ North American sourced and produced aluminum powder provides an excellent solution that doesn’t compromise on performance.
