Advanced aluminum feedstocks designed specifically for additive manufacturing

The chart shows the performance characteristics of Elementum’s six aluminum alloys for 3D printing compared to regular AlSi10Mg.

Elementum 3D offers aluminum-alloy AM feedstock powders enabled by its proprietary Reactive Additive Manufacturing process. During the patented RAM process, the company mixes gas-atomized aluminum-alloy materials with ceramic particulates to deliver powders that reportedly outperform unmodified, off-the-shelf varieties.

Most traditional high-strength aluminum alloys are designed for wrought processing, not AM. This can cause hot tearing (solidification cracking) when these materials are printed. The RAM process inoculates alloys against hot tearing and produces equiaxed, fine-grained microstructures with exceptional properties, claims the Erie, Colo., manufacturer.

The aluminum powders are available in a range of formulations, sizes, and shapes for use in LPBF/SLM (laser powder bed fusion/selective laser melting), DMLS (direct metal laser sintering), DED (directed energy deposition), and other powder technologies.