3D printing with nanoparticles
Metal and ceramic printing without powder
Powders are generally used in additive manufacturing processes with metal and ceramics. Xjet is different: here, fine layers of nanoparticle inks or liquids are applied. The principle is similar to that of an inkjet printer.
Nanoparticle jetting, or NPJ for short, is the name of the additive manufacturing process developed by Israeli company Xjet, which processes metals and ceramics. Unlike powder-bed-based processes, NPJ involves printing solid nanoparticles in a liquid suspension and applying a component layer by layer in a pressure chamber.
The liquid with particles as small as 6 µm are applied to a hot base plate at up to 300 °C (550 °F) in a tintel jet process. The liquid evaporates and what remains is a layer just a few micrometers thick. The special feature is that the "ink" of both the actual printing material and the support material can be applied using a standard nozzle system. According to the company, this printing process is up to five times faster than conventional powder bed processes. Another special feature according to Xjet is that all materials can be processed with the machines. At the moment, components are mostly made from stainless steel and zirconium oxide. However, the vision is to be able to process a variety of metals and ceramics with the same platform.
The company presented the Xjet Carmel 1400 AM system at Formnext last year. Some of these systems are already in commercial use, but now those responsible want to expand their range and are focusing on metal printing at this year's Formnext. The target sectors are aviation and medical technology.
According to documents from Xjet
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