Bound Material Powder Deposition (BMPD) technology, involving direct nozzle extrusion, has been under development for some years as an alternative to filament processing. The Medpimould wax-based low-binder feedstock for medium pressure powder injection molding by the Swedish company Goceram AB have recently been verified to use for this type of 3D printing (AM) applications.
The $35,000 Metallic 3D BMPD printer
They have been further adapted by the affiliate GC Advanced Material Solutions Limited (GCAMS), Hong Kong and complete production know-how licenses put on the market. Recently, a completely new line of solvent-base feedstock technology was developed: AmbientPrint.
The clay-like, high viscosity pastes based on this technology have been proven, according to Dr. Robert Pompe, CEO of GCAMS, to be printable at ambient temperature and without any need of a separate debinding step. This patent-pending technology is further said to be capable to produce intricate, accurate and repeatable parts at a high speed and low cost, of essentially all kinds of materials.
“We hope and believe this to be a true game-changer – lowering significantly the entry barrier for both new and existing users of the Additive Manufacturing”, also said Dr. Pompe, “part manufacturers can now use standard MIM/CIM powders on the market and convert them into printable feedstocks using our licenses, a kind of “cooking books” describing in detail the procedures from powder selection to finally consolidated part”.
The production licenses are exclusively designed for and sold with the 3D printers manufactured by 3DPotter, Inc. and 3DMetallic, Inc., both based in Stuart, Fla, USA; complete packages are marketed by 3D Dragon Printing Technology Co., Ltd., Hong Kong, in southeast Asia, China and other dedicated markets.