H.C. Starck Solutions, a manufacturer of products based on refractory metals, has added a powder-bed fusion printing system to its growing list of additive manufacturing (AM) capabilities.
H.C. Starck collaborated with Renishaw, a global engineering technologies company with Canadian operations in Mississauga, Ont., by acquiring a Laser Powder Bed Fusion AM system to optimize the processing of refractory alloys.
Additive Manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is now being used to produce metal parts and H.C. Starck Solutions is a technology leader in applying AM to refractory metals, including tungsten, tantalum, niobium and molybdenum.
Powder-bed fusion is revolutionizing the production of refractory metal parts for demanding applications in medical imaging, biomedical implants, space propulsion and chemical processing.
Renishaw’s equipment will be used to produce complex metal parts for H.C. Starck customers in the aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial markets. The powder-bed fusion printer will be located in their manufacturing facility in Coldwater, Mich.—the same facility that produces its AM powders.
Andreas Mader, CEO of H.C. Starck says powder-bed fusion offers the best precision and geometric flexibility of any current AM technique.
“Combining our knowledge of AM technologies with our expertise in refractory metals will provide our customers with superior solutions to their business needs. The addition of the powder-bed fusion technology from Renishaw is only one of many steps H.C. Starck Solutions is taking to expand its AM portfolio in support of this growing sector.”
H.C. Starck High Performance Metal Solutions makes metal powders, complex metal parts and additively manufactured parts made from refractory metals with operations in the U.S., Europe and Asia. It makes products for original equipment manufacturers, end-users and aftermarket manufacturers.
UK-based Renishaw supplies products for applications as diverse as jet engine and wind turbines to dentistry and brain surgery. It has 5,000 employees in the 36 countries.
