Metal 3D printing company Sintavia has announced a technical and commercial partnership with Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC), a Japan-based provider of industrial gases.
As part of the deal, the two companies will develop and commercialize gas flow processes that optimize metal 3D printing. TNSC will also become a co-investor in Sintavia.
The need for good gas flow
Metal additive manufacturing is dependent on an optimal gas flow, mixture, and chemistry inside the 3D printer’s build chamber. A poor gas flow or an incorrect gas mixture may result in poor builds. The resulting components may be lacking in proper mechanical properties and have a high porosity.
TNSC, which has existing 3D printing partnerships with metal 3D printer developer Optomec, offers high purity gases and gas mixtures in cylinders that are optimized for build chambers. As Tadaharu (Ted) Watanabe, TNSC’s General Manager of Global Business Development explained,
“TNSC has for many years developed proprietary solutions for industrial welding applications. We are excited to apply […] many years of gas quality control and gas flow experience to the exciting and growing world of additive manufacturing.”
“This partnership is also an extension of our overall strategy in the additive manufacturing market by investing and partnering with market-leading Laser Metal Deposition tool suppliers and metal powder suppliers,” Watanabe added.
The latest deal for Sintavia
The partnership is also commercial, meaning that the R&D carried out between TNSC and Sintavia will likely be brought to market as part of future Sintavia systems and/or as part of TNSC’s product portfolio.
Sintavia, which expanded production with a new Florida factory last year, has also been 3D printing metal aerospace components on demand for engineering company Honeywell.
“Gas flow dynamics are the single most important—and single most overlooked—aspect of successful quality AM builds,” said Sintavia CEO Brian R. Neff. “In TNSC, we are partnering with a true leader in industrial gas flow optimization. We look forward to jointly developing and marketing gas flow solutions that will benefit our mutual customers and result in superior builds.”
Tell us who you think the best 3D printing OEM has been in the past year. Make your nominations for the 3D Printing Industry Awards 2018 now.
For more stories on 3D printing and commercial partnerships, subscribe to our free 3D Printing Industry newsletter, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.
Featured image shows Metal components, 3D printed in a Sintavia machine on a build plate. Photo via Sintavia.
