Kennametal Launches 3D Printing Business
Kennametal Additive Manufacturing uses additive solutions for faster development and production of wear-resistant parts.
Posted: October 21, 2019
Kennametal Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA) formed a 3D printing materials and production business unit, Kennametal Additive Manufacturing, as part of their Infrastructure segment. This new business unit, which is already shipping production parts to customers, combines their longstanding expertise in materials science and wear-resistant solutions with additive manufacturing capabilities to supply high-performance metal additive powders and fully finished 3D printed parts for wear, erosion, corrosion, and high temperature applications.
“Kennametal Additive Manufacturing combines our recognized expertise in wear materials, such as tungsten carbide and Stellite™, with the advantages of 3D printing: design flexibility, shorter development cycles and reduced lead times,” said Ron Port, the vice president of Kennametal Inc. and president of the Infrastructure Business Segment. “We are focused on high-growth potential additive solutions and this new business unit is advancing both what we make and how we make it, so we can produce better parts, faster and more efficiently, for our customers.”
The company has been leveraging 3D printing materials and processes within their existing businesses for some time to manufacture prototype components and cutting tools. This new business builds on these capabilities to offer comprehensive 3D printing solutions, from raw material to finished part. Their gas atomization powder production capabilities supply cobalt, nickel, and iron powders optimized for specific additive manufacturing processes. At their research and development, pilot production and prototyping center in Latrobe, PA, the business utilizes laser powder bed and binder jet printing technologies, combined with post-print processing capabilities, including sintering, hot isostatic pressing and machining, to produce fully finished components.
The business unit is led by Sherri McCleary, the director of their Additive Manufacturing Business who brings 30 years of materials science and business development expertise to the role. Kennametal Additive Manufacturing has already shipped their first production parts to customers in the oil and gas and power industries. These high-performance wear components include parts printed with powders specifically designed and optimized for 3D printing, including KAC89 tungsten carbide and Stellite 6 AM, a wear-resistant cobalt-chrome alloy.
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