MTI recently made a historic accomplishment among additive manufacturing companies across the globe. This accomplishment included successfully 3D printed coupons in a key alloy required for space travel. This alloy is known as C-103, and is a niobium based alloy containing approximately 10% Hafnium and 1% Titanium. It is widely used in space applications because of its excellent formability, cost, weight, and reliability. Additive manufacturing companies had yet to successfully sinter C-103 from a power form using the additive manufacturing processes – until now.
Metal Technology (MTI) is the first to use a powder-bed laser, additive manufacturing system to produce solids from C-103. MTI’s 3D Systems ProX 300 uses a powerful 500 watt laser – a technology that opens the door for MTI to develop complex components for Space Primes such as Aerojet Rocketdyne, ATK, Boeing, European Space Agency, Honeywell, JAXA, Lockheed Martin, Moog, NASA, Orbital Sciences, Pratt & Whitney, Sierra Nevada Corp., SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, UTC Aerospace and many more.
MTI has been leading additive manufacturing companies in precision machining, deep draw forming, forging and fabricating in C-103 for years. This recent innovation gives MTI many more opportunities to further their additive manufacturing capabilities. Steve Smith, Director of Sales and Marketing at MTI, gives some insight as to the origin of this accomplishment:
“This project began in January, 2014 when we decided to pursue additive manufacturing as an additional capability to our operations. It’s a natural evolution of our work with C-103, to provide customers quicker deliver and more complex geometries.”
MTI will display an overview of its capabilities at the AIAA Propulsion and Energy Conference in Cleveland, Ohio from July 28-30. Stop by booth number 609 to discuss all of the developments at MTI and discuss how the company can partner in your propulsion development projects.
MTI serves the Aerospace, Defense, High-Energy Physics, Medical, Semiconductor, Thin Film, Glass, Chemical Process and Scientific Industries.
About Metal Technology (MTI)
With more than forty years of experience applying innovative, proprietary technologies, Metal Technology (MTI) is making possible the use of difficult alloys for a wider range of applications with greater efficiency, versatility, and reliability. Alloys include Tantalum, Niobium, Zirconium, Titanium, Tungsten, Nickel, Inconel, Molybdenum, and Vanadium. MTI uses specialized additive manufacturing, deep-draw, spinning, forging, machining, EDM, and fabrication methods to deliver superior products according to your exacting specifications. MTI produces components for ion source components, targets, seamless crucibles, explosively formed penetrators, tubing and vessels as well as custom parts that go beyond common configurations.
Contact us for more information on our additive manufacturing capabilities.