Z3DLAB announces availability of titanium ZTi-Powder and ZTi-Med materials for AM

Z3DLAB SAS, a French AM company specializing in nano-structured advanced materials, has announced the availability of two nano-structures titanium powders enriched with 1% nano zirconia. The materials, ZTi-Powder and ZTi-Med, were developed as an alternative to existing titanium grades that have been around since the 1950s.

The ceramic-enriched materials were announced by Z3DLAB at Formnext this week, where the company will be showcasing its ZTi material family at booth D48, Hall 3.1. So far, we’ve only received a few details about the new zirconia-enriched titanium powders.

For instance, Z3DLAB explained that its ZTi-Powder material, which consists of nano-structured TA6V and zirconia, offers better characteristics for additive manufacturing than standard Ti6AI4V. ZTi-Med, for its part, is a material range made up of nano-structured titanium and zirconia that has been developed specifically for implant applications. The latter material boasts a GPa at 35, which makes it suitable for solving the stress shielding effect in implants.

Madjid Djemaï CEO of Z3DLAB SAS, commented on the new material announcement, saying: “We are pleased to make available the 1% enhanced nano-ceramic, with better results to what we obtained back in 2015 with 5%. This will reduce resistance to change to its minimum and facilitate rapid adoption by both the medical and the industry. The ZTi Family is here to replace the old titanium and bring new enhance characteristics. A family of advanced material specifically designed for AM.”

In 2015, Z3DLAB validated a patent for the development of a ceramic-metal composite material made of titanium and zirconia. The composite sought to leverage zirconia’s hardness with titanium’s malleability. As Djemaï noted, the material in 2015 was infused with 5% nano-zirconium, which returned less promising results than the new ZTi-Powder and ZTi-Med materials.