Aconity3D reaches milestone by achieving 60% faster print speed with Equispheres aluminium

Aconity3D, a 3D printer company, and Equispheres, an AM powder expert, have reached an early and promising milestone in a collaboration effort. The firms achieved 60 percent quicker printing rates without losing mechanical qualities using Aconity3D's 1-kW MIDI system and Equispheres' aluminium powder.

Aconity3D and Equispheres have been collaborating since early 2021, when Equispheres, located in Canada, chose Aconity3D to be a part of its lab expansion project. Aconity3D has been testing Equispheres' aluminium powder for the manufacturing of a component for the AconitySCAN, a system built into the company's range of powder bed fusion printers, as part of the cooperation. The objective was to employ Equispheres' aluminium powder to speed up the part's manufacture compared to traditional powder print timeframes.

The firms have revealed the first encouraging results of their partnership at a strategic moment with Formnext. Aconity3D and Equispheres have reached print rates 60 percent quicker than typical powders, lowering print time from 53 to 17.5 hours—all without affecting the mechanical qualities of the product. Because the item in issue is for Aconity3D systems, the business wants to make the most of this capability.

“This dramatic reduction in production time reduces the cost to produce the part by greater than 50%.  More importantly, it enables Aconity3D to produce our printers more quickly and meet the growing demand for our systems,” said Yves Hagedorn, Managing Director of Aconity3D.

The exceptional quality of Equispheres aluminium powder, which is characterised by extremely spherical and homogeneous particles, contributes to the higher printing rates. The firms were able to significantly reduce print times by combining the powder with the accuracy and configurability of Aconity3D's technology.

“Most importantly, the powder can absorb the energy from the powerful 1 kw laser without disturbing the stability of the melt pool. This is not attainable with standard aluminum powders. We are pleased to partner with Aconity3D on this initiative. Combining their expertise with AM systems and our expertise in powders provides a powerful solution to the market,” said, Evan Butler Jones, Director of Applications Engineering at Equispheres.

The partnership is still in its early phases, and Aconity3D intends to do more testing using aluminium powder in order to improve the process and perhaps lower prices even more. The firms are also close to concluding an arrangement in which Aconity3D would offer Equispheres' powder material as a beginning kit to its clients.

“We want our customers to have the best production experience when they utilize our specialized printer equipment. The best way to showcase our devices is to equip them with the best powder,” added Hagedorn.