Steel 3D Printing
Fathom’s metal 3D printing service produces high-quality steel parts for its customers using Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). This advanced additive technology produces 100% dense steel parts without the need for a separate sintering step. DMLS is ideal for producing high-quality prototypes and low-volume steel 3D printing.
Why Use Steel
for 3D Printing?
Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) enables the economical production of high-mix, low-volume steel parts. It also allows you to create complex part designs that aren’t possible using conventional methods. Because no tooling is required, steel parts can be produced at a fraction of the cost and time required for conventional production methods.
Steel 3D printing using DMLS has the potential to revolutionize the manufacturing of metal components for many industries – not only new part designs but also on-demand printing of replacement parts for older equipment.
What is DMLS?
Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) uses a laser to melt 20- to 60-micron layers of metal powder on top of each other. Powdered metal is spread across the entire build platform and selectively melted to previous layers. This additive process allows metal parts to be grown out of a bed of powdered metal. DMLS produces high-quality metal parts that don’t require sintering and have the mechanical characteristics of cast metal parts.
5 Reasons You Should Select
Steel DMLS 3D Printing
Solve the Short Run/High Mix Challenge
For years, producing short runs of steel parts via casting, machining or metal fabrication has been prohibitively expensive because of the set-up and tooling required. DMLS smashes through this barrier by eliminating these up-front costs. Fathom’s metal 3D printing service enables you to do steel 3D printing on demand.
Greater Design Freedom
Traditional manufacturing techniques like metal casting and CNC machining place limits on what you can create. DMLS enables you to produce steel parts that are difficult or impossible to achieve with them, such as:
- Internal supports
- Weight-saving lattice wall sections
- Conformal cooling channels
- Undercuts
- Draft angles
- Internal cavities
- Varying wall thickness
Fast Prototyping
Steel 3D printing with DMLS empowers you to iterate and optimize your prototype part designs quickly – without the need for costly tooling. It can also help you bring your new products to market faster, at a minimal cost.
Part Consolidation
Thanks to the design freedom that DMLS enables, you can consolidate assemblies into a single, printable steel part that is lighter, less expensive and more reliable.
Production Parts
Need bridge production? You can use Fathom’s steel 3D printing services to produce several hundred production-quality steel parts quickly so you can keep your production line running while you wait for tooling.
Steel 3D Printing Finishing Processes
Finishing can produce a professional surface finish on steel parts. Strength, rust resistance, and metal conductivity can be added to a part during the finishing step. Finishes offered by Fathom include shot peening, electrochemical polishing and CNC finishing.
Abrasive Blast (Grit & Ceramic) // Abrasive blasting methods include micro-abrasive blasting, bristle blasting, bead blasting and more. Abrasive blasting can remove imperfections, rust and other contaminants from a steel part’s surface. Abrasive blasting is often used to prepare a part for a coating application.
Shot Peen // During shot peening, a steel part is hit with multiple shots that leave deformities on its surface. The process adds a compressive stressed layer. Shot peening can enhance a steel part’s strength and reduce its stress profile.
Optical Polish // The optical polishing process is best for projects with geometries in low quantities that are not tolerance-dependent. Optical polishing is cost-effective and provides a brilliant finish. Optical polishing creates a microfinish or superfinish on a part’s surface in preparation for further processing.
Electrochemical Polishing // Electrochemical polishing can also be used to prepare a steel part for additional finishing. During this process, the part is placed in an electrolytic solution with a copper or lead cathode. The electric current moves through the solution, smoothing the part’s surface. Electrochemical polishing produces a mirror-like finish on steel parts.
Abrasive Flow Machining // During abrasive flow machining, a chemically inactive media works to polish the steel part and remove unwanted material. Abrasive flow machining can deburr and polish steel parts.
Electroplating // Electroplating dissolves metal in an electrolytic solution and transfers it onto the part’s surface. Some of the most common metals used during electroplating are copper and zinc. Electroplating adds a metal layer to the outside of a part, increasing its strength and durability.
Micro Machining Process (MMP) // During MMP, the part is mapped by a profilometer to generate a roughness profile. The component is then transitioned to the MMP envelope, where micro-milling cutters polish the part. Micro machining uses great technical precision to preserve the geometries of the part while adding a mirror-like finish.
CNC Finishing/Machining // CNC finishing can improve a part’s appearance and prepare it for a final coating. Finishing may involve powder coating, bead blasting, passivation or anodizing. CNC finishing or machining adds wear resistance, metal conductivity, strength and rust resistance to steel parts.
Fathom’s Locations
for Steel 3D Printing
Wisconsin //
1050 Walnut Ridge Drive
Hartland, WI 53029
Why Choose Fathom for Steel 3D Printing?
Depend on Fathom to produce your steel 3D parts to your specifications.
Fathom is one of the nation’s largest service bureaus for DMLS metal 3D printing. We have the capacity and expertise to build steel 3D parts that meet your requirements.
Leverage our in-house post-processing capabilities to get your steel parts production-ready, faster.
Get a quote on your DMLS steel part project today with our SmartQuote platform.
