Desktop Metal announced that it has qualified the use of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V (Ti64) for the Studio System 2™, an accessible metal 3D printing platform that offers customers the easiest way to print high-performance metal parts in low volumes for pre-production and end-use applications. With plans to begin shipping Ti64 next month, Desktop Metal will be the first and only company to make the material commercially available for extrusion-based bound metal additive manufacturing technologies.
Ti64 is the most widely used titanium alloy and is characterized by its high tensile strength, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. With a high strength-to-weight ratio, Ti64 is considered an ideal material for high-performance production applications in industries such as aerospace and defense, automotive, and oil and gas. In addition, its biocompatibility makes it particularly desirable in medical applications, such as with surgical devices and implants.
The Studio System 2 produces Ti64 with exceptional mechanical properties. Tensile properties include 730 MPa yield strength, 845 MPa ultimate tensile strength, and 17% elongation. These mechanical properties exceed those set by ASTM F2885-17 standards for metal injection molded surgical implant applications.