Velo3D, a leading metal additive manufacturing technology company for mission-critical parts, has qualified M300 tool steel, an ultra-low carbon alloy that delivers very high strength and hardness, for use in Velo3D’s Sapphire printers. Velo3D has already seen extensive interest in the alloy from automotive manufacturers for use in high-pressure die cast inserts, injection molding, and other types of tooling.
An M300 tool steel print of conformal cooled tooling and high-pressure die casting inserts. The print is shown as printed on the build plate.
“By qualifying M300 tool steel for use in our printers, we’re able to service entirely new industries, like automotive and tooling, that can leverage Velo3D’s advanced capability to print high quality, large diameter internal channels for their applications,” said Greg Brown, VP of Technology at Velo3D. “By manufacturing die cast inserts and other tooling components with our technology, we expect companies will be able to build stronger products, improve machining throughput, and decrease manufacturing costs.”
Manufacturing on Demand
Velo3D’s end-to-end solution is well suited for leveraging M300 tool steel due to its ability to print parts with high-quality surface finishes in complex large-diameter internal cooling channels. These channels can prolong the life of the tooling; however, they can be difficult to create with conventional manufacturing methods. Furthermore, while many metal 3D printers can print smaller diameter holes, printing large channels can create roughness and susceptibility to cracking.
A conformal cooled tooling insert of a working surface for high-pressure die casting.
The company’s Sapphire XC 1MZ also provides customers with a large build volume – 600mm in diameter and 1000mm in height. This is the largest build volume in comparable printers from leading manufacturers – making it better suited to fulfill the requirements of industries that require the largest M300 tool steel inserts, like automotive.
Velo3D has seen high demand for Sapphire printers utilizing M300 tool steel in both Sapphire and Sapphire XC platforms. The company expects to start delivery of the systems as early as Q4 of 2022.
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Author: Edward Wakefield
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