Desktop Metal, Inc., a global leader in additive manufacturing technologies for mass production, announced that Wisconsin-based DSB Technologies (DSB), a leader in high-quality metal part production with sinter-based technologies such as powder metallurgy (PM) and metal injection molding (MIM) has now adopted the complete X-Series metal binder jetting product lineup, including Live Sinter software, from Desktop Metal.
DSB is now developing and delivering customer parts with the InnoventX, X25Pro and X160Pro from Desktop Metal for a range of metals, including 316L and 17-4PH stainless steels, 4140 and M2 Tool Steel. It also plans to adopt Desktop Metal binder jetting for aluminum in the future.
“Binder jetting really is a forming technology that gives us unlimited design potential,” said Paul Hauck, Chief Operating Officer for DSB Technologies. “We can go from a very simple shape to very complex things you can’t produce in hard tooling, taking complexity beyond what’s possible with metal injection molding. Binder jetting creates applications never produced before, and we want to be a leader in that.”
Based in Janesville, Wisconsin, DSB is home to more than 30 high-temperature continuous sintering furnaces — believed to be North America’s largest installed capacity — as well as post-processing technology to support volume production in metal binder jetting. Of the eight million pounds of metal powder processed by DSB annually, about 90% are grades of stainless steel. DSB currently serves the aerospace, automotive, defense, electronics, industrial, medical, and sports equipment markets.
What is Metal Binder Jetting?
In binder jetting, an industrial printhead selectively deposits a binder into a bed of powder metal particles creating a solid part one thin layer at a time. When printing metal powders, the final bound metal part must be sintered in a furnace to fuse the particles together into a solid object. DM printers deliver high densities of greater than 97% for most metals, in line or better than MIM or gravity castings, depending on the metal.
Binder jet 3D printing technology is widely viewed as a desirable and sustainable production method, largely because of its high speed, low waste and cost, as well as material flexibility. DM printers also binder jet sand and ceramics in high-volume, serial production applications today.
“The exciting part about binder jetting is the path from concept to part is all digital,” Hauck said. “You're not sending a CAD file over to a tool shop that then creates a reverse image. So, you're taking as few as eight weeks, and maybe as many as 16 or 20 weeks, out of that process.”
DSB has been phasing in Desktop Metal’s binder jetting technology over the past few years. First installed in 2021, the InnoventX lab-sized printer is used for material development and testing initial sintering parameters. The X25Pro, installed in 2022, allows the team to scale those successful tests up to application development in a mid-size machine that is also capable of bridge production. The X160Pro, installed in 2023, offers the largest build volume to take applications to serial production.
Live Sinter™ Simulation Software is Critical
While the PM and MIM sectors have long operated with trial and error when sintering powder metal parts, Live Sinter is changing the game of what’s possible with powder metal production.
Hauck said the software is highly effective in reducing iterations and saving time. “We now have very useful scientific analytical tools that enable successful outcomes,” Hauck said. “It's helping us solve application problems, get successful outcomes, and get there faster.”
