German EOS has officially announced the introduction of the aluminum alloy Aluminum Al5X1, which was first announced in early July this year. The new material will be available for purchase from next month. Al5X1 will be made available to users of EOS M 290 3D printers in November this year, and users of EOS M 400-4 3D printers will be able to use it next year.
According to EOS, the material has an elongation at break of 14%, with an ultimate tensile strength of 410 MPa. It also claims that the material requires only a single-step heat treatment without hot isostatic pressing, which allows parts to be produced faster and cheaper. Parts printed from EOS Al5X1 aluminum can also be electropolished and anodized (Type II and Type III) to achieve both cosmetic and corrosion-resistant protective properties, while “there are no limits to the potential color selection.”
Prior to its official unveiling, EOS Aluminum Al5X1 was tested by numerous organizations in the aerospace, semiconductor and defense industries. EOS says that feedback from companies testing the material shows that the material’s “exceptional performance, combined with competitive part cost, has created a strong business case for its production deployment.”
“Since early 2023, we have been working to develop Al5X1 performance data and acceptable materials on behalf of our core customers,” commented Brian Neff, founder and CEO of Sintavia. “The initial results are very promising and we look forward to introducing Al5X1 into our product lines thermodynamics. Developing a higher-performance aluminum alloy is crucial not only for us, but also for the entire industry.”
“The combination of high strength and high aspect ratio of an aluminum alloy is critical for manufacturers in industries such as aerospace, but it is equally important to provide this combination of properties at a reasonable price,” added Dr. Ankit Saharan, senior manager of metals technology at EOS. “Also interesting is that because the material can be anodized, this makes it very attractive to OEMs in areas such as consumer electronics who want to produce products in a variety of colors to suit customer preferences, with the added advantage of corrosion resistance.” .
Source: www.eos.info