
Researchers in China have developed a new alloy that could affect metal additive manufacturing.
According to a recent story in the South China Morning Post, a new alloy of niobium and silicon has been developed that offers powerful properties that could be used in aerospace and other industries.
There are several key properties that make the alloy attractive:
- Ability to withstand temperatures as high as 1700°C
- Lighter than nickel or titanium alloys
- Three times the compressive strength
According to the report, part of the material’s development took place on the Tiangong space station. South China Morning Post writes:
“For more than three years in the Tiangong space station, astronauts have been conducting a seemingly mundane experiment. It involves striking alloy particles that are suspended in a vacuum chamber with a laser and then recording the subtle changes that occur as the particles cool.
The experiment has been going on for so long that the equipment and samples have been replaced three times.”
Data from this experiment contributed to the development of the alloy on the ground, but it is not clear how.
There is no mention of additive manufacturing in the report, but a new alloy of this type might be used in a range of additive manufacturing equipment. In powder form, it could certainly be loaded into LPBF machines. It’s not clear if it could be used in wire form.
This alloy might permit some unusual applications. Turbine blades, for example, could be subjected to hotter working environments. Similarly, rocket engines might require fewer cooling channels.
We may see this alloy eventually make its way into AM operations.