The company has also developed platinum group metallic powder using nickel-based alloys with platinum and iridium additives, and manufacturing objects using them.
Platinum group metals have a high melting point and are durable, but many - especially alloys - have poor workability such as cutting and plastic forming, and there are limitations in the shapes available using existing forming methods. Enabling these materials to be formed using 3D printers makes it possible to form complex shapes and manufacture complex products using materials with different melting points. This development may make it possible to develop corrosion resistant products such as medical materials or specialized components in areas requiring heat resistance such as the automotive industry and the aerospace industry.
High strength
Metallic glass is a type of amorphous metal that does not have a crystalline structure like ordinary metals. It is widely known for its high strength, great hardness, low flexibility, ultra-high corrosion resistance, high magnetic permeability, high molding workability, smooth surface, friction resistance, scratch resistance, precise casting and low vibration damping properties, and is gaining attention as a next-generation material.
The most widespread method of manufacturing metallic glass at present is casting, which involves pouring molten metal into a cast and quickly cooling it to harden. Casting requires a cast to be created in advance each time a different shape is being made, but in the manufacture of metallic glass, which requires particularly fast cooling, it is necessary to use an expensive metal cast with high thermal conductivity. However, one issue faced in practical application is the limitation of shapes that can be made due to the difficulty involved in processing these metallic casts to form complex shapes.
Alloy powder
Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo aims to expand the effective uses of precious metals through the development of various platinum group alloy powder material for 3D printers.
