Quintus Technologies has developed a toolbox making it possible to get unoxidised component surfaces after Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP), eliminating the need for difficult, costly, or hazardous pre- and post-processing.
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Toolbox concept
Peter Henning, director marketing & sales, Quintus Technologies, said: “Oxidised component surfaces, and especially alpha cased titanium components—a brittle oxygen-enriched surface layer formed on titanium alloys during high temperature processes—are prone to crack initiation and therefore detrimental to component strength and reliability in operation.
The oxygen, causing the oxidation during the process, originates from various sources, all of which must be controlled to ensure component performance. The oxidation issue is today (when at all possible) mitigated either by manually wrapping of all individual components in metal foil before the process, or by removing all oxidised surfaces using machining or etching with chemicals after the process.”
Using the Quintus Purus toolbox, consisting of new HIP equipment hardware and software capabilities and bespoke oxygen getter cassettes, Quintus says most of these issues can be avoided or substantially reduced. This has design advantages and reduces the cost and environmental impact of manufacturing components.
The issues around oxidised intricate surface structures and locations, which are difficult to inspect, are getting increased attention as additive manufacturing (AM) continues to expand the possibilities to design and build increasingly complex, functional structures. Examples of complex structure include trabecular structures designed for bone ingress of cementless medical implants.
The concept behind Purus was developed, tested, and tuned over several years in Quintus Application Centres in Västerås, Sweden, and Columbus, Ohio, US, and then verified in beta testing by select partners requesting the functionality to support their business opportunities.
As the beta tests have shown that exceptional results can be achieved, the Quintus Purus toolbox is now made available as a retrofit to an existing Compact HIP system or as a feature to a new system.
Purus customers can opt to participate in Quintus Care, a partnership programme designed to reduce operational risks and provide trouble-free equipment operation. It includes technical and application support and spare parts management.
Jan Söderström, CEO and President, Quintus Technologies, said: “Purus makes it possible to produce ‘HIP process without having to manually wrap each component in metal foil, nor remove oxidised surfaces by machining or chemical etching after the process. This reduces energy consumption, cost of manufacturing, and the need for hazardous chemicals. This innovation is yet another example on how we collaborate with our customers to create mutual and environmentally sustainable business opportunities.”
