MTI Announces New Direct Metal Printing Capabilities

Metal Technology is pleased to announce their new position in the world of additive manufacturing through the use of direct metal printing. Over the years, Metal Technology (MTI) has made its name through developing Aerospace and Defense applications. These applications have included manufacturing components for the Trident missile programs and various space exploration initiatives. Now, MTI is expanding the paradigm of metal parts design and manufacturing through the use of 3D metal printing, and is reaching out to new markets.

As a keystone of the company’s effort to reshape how metal parts are made, MTI has made the leap into additive manufacturing, adding the 3D Systems ProX 300 Direct Metal Printing (DMP) 3D printer to its capabilities portfolio. The ProX 300 uses a laser sintering process to produce chemically pure, fully dense, precise metal parts with a level of speed and complexity that’s unmatched in traditional manufacturing processes.

One of MTI’s key strategies with the new addition of their direct metal printing capabilities is to transfer their vast metals experience to new industries and applications. Gary Cosmer, CEO at Metal Technology, noted his excitement surrounding the addition of direct metal printing:

“Prior to 3D printed metal components, the costs of designing and fabricating “one off” or small lots of parts or components was prohibitive in most cases. 3D printing also opens up a whole new way of thinking about the design of components, where printed parts allow for higher complexity and more complex features that allow significant weight savings or enhanced flowability for cooling within the component.”

So, when a motor sports opportunity came up this year with English Racing—a case that was perfect for the ProX 300—they were all over it. Cosmer – a motor sports aficionado himself – quickly recognized the value proposition that 3D printed parts would play in the motor sports market and enthusiastically took on the project.

A Bright Future For Direct Metal Printing At MTI

In neighboring Washington state, English Racing was struggling with their Mitsubishi 4G63 race engines. The high-performance cars that English Racing puts on the track often exceed 10,000 RPMs; especially the Mitsubishi Evo – a vehicle set up for ½ mile top-speed events in which it runs in excess of 185 MPH. The factory oil pump drive pulley translated those increased RPMs into excessive oil pressure, a situation that can quickly bring about complete engine failure.

English Racing had an innovative approach to the problem using a new pulley with a larger diameter, which would turn slower and thereby lower the oil pressure. Challenges with this part came in the production phase. Because the original pulley was a cast part, which would typically require a mold and tooling to produce a mold, a significant amount of lead time and a prohibitive amount of money would have to spent in order to produce the part.

English Racing tried unsuccessfully to produce this part for two years and had to prospective solutions on the horizon. Fortunately, in 2014 English Racing discovered MTI. Design data for direct metal printing was quickly prepared and the part was produced using the ProX 300. The initial working prototype took only 5 hours to print. Within 3 days, that part was installed in the Mitsubishi Evo race car and running on track. The part worked perfectly, reducing oil pressure to safe levels and allowing the vehicle to set speed records in its class. When asked about the future of the ProX 300 and direct metal printing at MTI, Cosmer stated:

“The ProX 300 allowed us to produce end-use parts faster and more economically than ever before, and these parts are being used in some of the most demanding environments you can imagine. By printing the part we were also able to include features and design parameters that could not be done with traditional methods. In the matrix of component complexity and manufacturing speed and cost, the ProX 300 allows us to bridge that gap for our customers.”

After the first part was built and tested, English Racing used the ProX 300 for a production run of 35 additional parts for different race applications across the country. Then, on June 27th, 2014, the English Racing team put its newly designed oil pump pulley to the test and received incredible results. English Racing placed first in the Sedan Class at the Pikes Peak Half Mile Top-Speed Event after achieving a winning 184.9 MPH speed.  “The car ran great like we expected it would!” said Zach Morgan, Technician & Tuner for English Racing. “We have been running the car on our dynometer without any failures so we thought we had a car that was going to put us in the winners’ circle, we just didn’t know if that was going to be first place or not. The team is stoked!”

The quantity, geometry, and features of this project would have been difficult to produce any other way, making it an ideal application for DMS on the ProX 300. MTI was able to make short work of a project that had been in the works for years, saving English Racing thousands of dollars and significant time over other manufacturing processes. “The entire metals industry is on a learning curve in terms of input material, and this in only going to improve,” said Cosmer. “MTI is leading and driving that learning curve and excited to be pushing the envelope in 3D printed metal. We don’t consider this a trivial pursuit.”

Check out the project overview video here:

Addendum: On July 13, 2014, the Mistubishi Evo with its 3D printed metal underdrive oil pump pulley took first place and world record holder as the fastest 4-Door Record with a 196.7 MPH.

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 direct metal printing capabilities.