Desktop Metal launches PureSinter sintering furnace for Additive Manufacturing, MIM and PM
Desktop Metal, Inc, headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, has announced the launch of its PureSinter furnace. Capable of debinding and sintering metal parts created via Binder Jetting (BJT) Additive Manufacturing, the new furnace is also suitable for parts produced using traditional Metal Injection Molding (MIM) and Press and Sinter Powder Metallurgy (PM) methods.
In development for more than five years, PureSinter features hot walls that prevent contamination buildup and an airtight processing environment to enable efficient waste exit and high levels of purity.
Contamination can be caused by hydrocarbons and other waste emitted by the powdered metal parts, explains Desktop Metal. This builds up on walls and other surfaces inside the furnace and can cause undesirable chemical reactions and furnace reliability.
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PureSinter has undergone extensive testing and is reported to show little to no contamination or buildup inside the furnace, even after hundreds of runs.
“Rather than trying to simply mitigate the factors that lead to poor performance in an all-in-one debinding and sintering furnace, we have eliminated them with an innovative all-new design,” stated Ric Fulop, founder and CEO of Desktop Metal. “This is the first product from Desktop Metal aimed at manufacturers using both Additive Manufacturing and traditional manufacturing methods.
“We have put the PureSinter through a prolonged period of testing to rigorously verify our new design, and it has exceeded all expectations. PureSinter is an exemplary demonstration of the innovation for which Desktop Metal and our engineers are known. We believe this furnace will revolutionize sinter-based AM and the traditional furnace industry.”
The PureSinter furnace can reach a maximum temperature of 1,420°C and is qualified for use with a variety of processing gasses, including argon, nitrogen, forming gas, and air. The machine features a total of seventeen fans and a pop-out ceiling vent for active, rapid, and consistent cooling, lowering temperatures from 1,420°C to 200°C in less than four hours and without expensive water-cooled walls.
PureSinter features a vertical furnace design, an automated thermal hood lift, touchscreen controls, and visibility inside the retort. With an oxygen-tight retort seal, and its efficient cooling system, the energy requirements are also reported to be lower than similar machines.
The new furnace is compatible with all of Desktop Metal’s metal AM machines and binders. It is also validated with fourteen metal powder and binder combinations, including stainless steels, tool steels, superalloys, and reactives. PureSinter can also process titanium with a high degree of confidence without the complex preparations which may be required with other furnaces. It was added that additional material validations are in process.
The first PureSinter furnace has been installed at FreeFORM Technologies, a metal binder jet contract manufacturer based in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, and the largest owner of a Super Fleet of 24 Desktop Metal AM machines, to validate new materials.
The PureSinter furnace, along with examples of metal parts sintered in the furnace, will be on display at Desktop Metal’s booth at Rapid + TCT, June 25-27 in Los Angeles, USA. Shipments of the PureSinter furnace are slated to begin in Q3.
