HSS Material Network: HDPE and iglidur i3 PL receive “Proof of Concept”

The HSS Material Network, which was launched in September 2021, has recorded its first successes in contract research in the field of high-speed sintering (HSS). The network partners voxeljet AG (NASDAQ:VJET), Fraunhofer IPA and the University of Bayreuth have qualified pioneering materials for the additive manufacturing of 3D polymer components in HSS, including HDPE (high density polyethylene) and iglidur i3 PL.

With the cooperation, the network partners want to accelerate the development and qualification of new polymer materials for the HSS technology and offer manufacturers of materials as well as service providers the possibility for flexible, fast and efficient qualification. In order to steadily increase the portfolio of tested materials for HSS and thus the know-how, interested companies are welcome to join the network.

Companies often lack access to process-specific know-how, the equipment and the interdisciplinary skills and resources to conduct their own materials research and technology optimisation. The HSS Material Network closes this gap. It offers companies a flexible and low-risk outsourcing option to identify the best material for their additively manufactured application, including the appropriate process parameters.

“With the bundled competence and expertise in our network, we can optimally support companies of all sizes in their additive manufacturing projects, starting with the initial suitability test, through specific development and parameterisation, to certification or market-ready qualification of the material,” says Tobias Grün, Product Manager at voxeljet.

The cooperation emerged from the Campus Additive.Innovations (CA.I) at the University of Bayreuth, in which the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA is also involved. The CA.I has more than 20 different additive manufacturing systems, including a VX200 HSS from voxeljet.

“All research systems in the CA.I have open software and hardware interfaces and enable individual setting of all process parameters, free programming of the process steps and high scalability. Such systems are ideal for coordinating the manufacturing process and material,” says Jan Kemnitzer, group manager at Fraunhofer IPA.

Through the cooperation and open exchange between the network partners, the HSS Material Network is able to effectively accelerate the development of new materials. Companies receive an application-oriented solution that is specifically tailored to their needs and quickly delivers initial results for potential qualification. Further plus points are the high flexibility in powder selection and options for scaling up for production use of processable materials.

Successful “Proof of Concept” for the materials HDPE …

After intensive research work, the network has now been able to achieve two significant “Proof of Concepts” for the two materials HDPE and iglidur® i3 PL. The “Proof of Concept” for HDPE was made from the HDPE powder DiaPow HDPE HX 11, which Diamond Plastics GmbH developed for laser sintering. HDPE is a high-density polyethylene with water-repellent properties and very good resistance to chemicals and greases. It is used, for example, in the manufacture of products for the food and packaging industries. The process capability analysis and initial parameterisation carried out by the Process Innovation Project Group of the Fraunhofer IPA and the Chair of Environmentally Sound Production Technology at the University of Bayreuth demonstrate that the HDPE powder has very good processability in the HSS. The processing of HDPE via HSS offers several advantages over other additive manufacturing processes, such as laser-based process technologies, including lower thermal stresses on the material and preservation of the proven mechanical properties of HDPE. In addition, HDPE is a widely used commodity plastic that is much cheaper to manufacture than PA12 or PA11. Finally, the production of HDPE in Europe ensures secure supply chains and times.

… and iglidur i3 PL

The second successful “proof of concept” concerns the iglidur i3 material. The igus GmbH has developed the plastic powder especially for the production of gliding applications and gears via the additive manufacturing process of Powder Bed Fusion of Polymer (PBF-P), for example laser sintering (LS). The special feature of iglidur i3 PL is the additivation of the powder with solid lubricants. The components made from it have a very high abrasion resistance and up to 30 times higher wear resistance than components made from other commercially available plastic powders. The plain bearings and gearwheels manufactured in HSS by the Fraunhofer Project Group Process Innovation of the Fraunhofer IPA and the Chair of Environmentally Compatible Production Technology of the University of Bayreuth as part of the “Proof of Concept” show very good tribological and mechanical properties, which make further optimisation of the polymer powder specifically for the HSS process and full qualification quite interesting. In addition, thanks to its open-source concept, HSS has the possibility to specifically adjust component properties on the process side.

In order to continuously expand the portfolio of tested materials for HSS and thus the know-how, interested companies are welcome to join the network.

Successful “Proof of Concept” for the materials HDPE …

After intensive research work, the network has now been able to achieve two significant “Proof of Concepts” for the two materials HDPE and iglidur i3 PL. The “Proof of Concept” for HDPE was made from the HDPE powder DiaPow HDPE HX 11, which Diamond Plastics GmbH developed for laser sintering. HDPE is a high-density polyethylene with water-repellent properties and very good resistance to chemicals and greases. It is used, for example, in the manufacture of products for the food and packaging industries. The process capability analysis and initial parameterisation carried out by the Process Innovation Project Group of the Fraunhofer IPA and the Chair of Environmentally Sound Production Technology at the University of Bayreuth demonstrate that the HDPE powder has very good processability in the HSS.

The processing of HDPE via HSS offers several advantages over other additive manufacturing processes, such as laser-based process technologies, including lower thermal stresses on the material and preservation of the proven mechanical properties of HDPE. In addition, HDPE is a widely used commodity plastic that is much cheaper to manufacture than PA12 or PA11. Finally, the production of HDPE in Europe ensures secure supply chains and times.

In order to continuously expand the portfolio of tested materials for HSS and thus the know-how, interested companies are welcome to join the network.

Find out more about voxeljet AG at voxeljet.de.

For more information about Fraunhofer IPA, please visit ipa.fraunhofer.de.

To find out more about the University of Bayreuth, please visit uni-bayreuth.de.