Comparing 3D Printed Parts to Parts Produced by High Pressure Die Casting – 3DPrint.com

UK’s Royal Air Force Assesses Potential of 3D Printed Metal Parts for Aerospace
Conflux Looks to Automation to Scale Heat Exchanger 3D Printing
Geometric 3D Printing Specialist Metafold Lands $1.78M in Funding
Polymers Market Data: Q1 2023
June 20, 2023
Report #
Metals Market Data: Q1 2023
June 20, 2023
Report #
The Market for Metal Additive Manufacturing Services 2023-2031
June 05, 2023
Report # SMP-AM-MAMS-0623

MARKETS
The Market for Metal Additive Manufacturing Services 2023-2031
June 05, 2023
Report # SMP-AM-MAMS-0623
3D Printing In Dentistry 2023
May 15, 2023
Report # SMP-AM-DENTAL2023-0523
Emerging AM Technologies Analysis: 10 Companies to Watch
March 14, 2023
Report # SMP-AMET2023-0323
Polymers Market Data: Q1 2023
June 20, 2023
Report #
Metals Market Data: Q1 2023
June 20, 2023
Report #
The Market for Metal Additive Manufacturing Services 2023-2031
June 05, 2023
Report # SMP-AM-MAMS-0623
Dig Deeper, Search Our Message Board 3dprintboard.com
Metallurgist
Implementation Engineer
Feature Your Job Posting Here
Velo3D
October 27, 2021
Innovator’s Roundtable
September 23, 2021
Elkem Silicones
June 10, 2021
In-Vision
May 27, 2021
Article Series
A curated collection of industry and product deep-dives.
Exclusive Content
Videos, podcasts, product reviews and free downloadable resources.
UK’s Royal Air Force Assesses Potential of 3D Printed Metal Parts for Aerospace
Conflux Looks to Automation to Scale Heat Exchanger 3D Printing
Geometric 3D Printing Specialist Metafold Lands $1.78M in Funding
UK’s Royal Air Force Assesses Potential of 3D Printed Metal Parts for Aerospace
Conflux Looks to Automation to Scale Heat Exchanger 3D Printing
Geometric 3D Printing Specialist Metafold Lands $1.78M in Funding
Share this Article

Additive manufacturing has, in many studies, been compared with traditional manufacturing techniques like, for example, injection molding. In a study entitled “The Use of Selective Laser Melting to Increase the Performance of AlSi9Cu3Fe Alloy,” a group of researchers compared parts made with 3D printing to parts made with die casting, using the same material.
Aluminum and its alloys have an excellent strength to weight ratio, and AlSi9CuFe is frequently used in the automotive industry because of its mechanical strength. It is easy to machine and is usually processed by high pressure die casting, but the method has its imperfections.
“High-pressure die casting (HPDC) enables high production volumes of parts showing high surface quality,” the researchers state. “Compared to gravity casting, even more complex shapes are possible to be produced, but still, the current demands for porous structures or very small dimensions are hardly attainable. Additionally, the HPDC process is limited by the formation of defects, such as oxide films, shrinkage cavities, air porosity, etc., which cannot be eliminated. Such defects then weaken the castings structurally and exclude them for use in the field of safety applications.”
Therefore, the researchers conducted a study in which SLM 3D printing and high pressure die casting were used to produce parts using the same alloy. They then compared the properties of the parts. Porosity was examined in the samples, and transmission electron microscopy was used to observe nanoscale microstructural features. Uniaxial tensile tests were conducted, as were compressive tests and hardness measurement. Fracture surfaces were studied using scanning electron microscopy.
TEM bright field images obtained in the area of (a) a melt pool boundary and (b) a melt pool interior.
“Compared to as-cast microstructure consisting of α-Al dendrites and lamellar Al-Si eutectics, SLM yields in hierarchically heterogeneous microstructure,” the researchers conclude. “Grains are arranged in melt pools representing material melted and solidified by single laser tracks in the direction of the highest temperature gradient. They exhibit very fine cellular substructure in which the cells of α-Al solid solution oversaturated in Si and Cu are separated by eutectic network formed by cubic particles of pure Si, here 30–70 nm in size.”
The 3D printed parts showed a very fine microstructure, and overall, the parts produced by additive manufacturing exhibited greater strength than those produced by die casting, as well as greater plasticity. This is notable because it shows that 3D printing can overcome the strength-ductility tradeoff that is present in so many metals and alloys. The researchers conclude that 3D printing can improve the performance of the alloy compared to high pressure die casting, as well as produce more complex and lightweight structures, opening up new applications.
Comparison between (a) as-cast (HPDC) and (b) SLM microstructures.
This study is another example of how 3D printing can improve upon traditional manufacturing techniques. 3D printing is often hailed for its ability to speed up production, save money, and produce more complex and lightweight components than traditional manufacturing, but the researchers’ study shows that the very microstructure of 3D printed materials can be superior to that of the same materials fabricated in a traditional way.
Authors of the paper include Michaela Fousova, Drahomir Dvorsky, Marek Vronka, Dalibor Vojtech and Pavel Lejcek.
Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.
Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.

Share this Article
UK’s Royal Air Force Assesses Potential of 3D Printed Metal Parts for Aerospace
Conflux Looks to Automation to Scale Heat Exchanger 3D Printing
3D Design
3D Printed Art
3D Printed Food
3D Printed Guns
Metafold, a newcomer in Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) software, has announced a successful seed funding round of $1.78 million (CAD $2.4 million). The Canadian startup, established in 2020, is…
The countdown to the much-anticipated Additive Manufacturing Strategies (AMS) 2024 is underway. Scheduled to take place in person from February 6 through 8, 2024, this event encapsulates cutting-edge innovation and…
On the fourth day of record high temperatures, which are “probably the warmest in 100,000 years,” the conjecture and oil company fog surrounding climate change was breaking. You may not…
After the success of this year’s event, Additive Manufacturing Strategies (AMS) is already set to make a big impact in 2024. The roster of speakers is filling up quickly, with…
Upload your 3D Models and get them printed quickly and efficiently.
Site Sponsor
Events
Additive Manufacturing Strategies
Networking & Intelligence Summit,
February 6-8, 2024
Jobs
3D Printing jobs around the world.
Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter
Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.
3D Printing Guides
© 2016 – 2023 3DR HOLDINGS.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Register to view and download proprietary industry data from SmarTech and 3DPrint.com

Questions? Contact info@3dprint.com
Already have an account?
Log In

source

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *