14 DAY TRIAL // Selective laser sintering 3D printing technology is the only type of additive manufacturing that can reliably build things from metals. Some materials have remained beyond its ability, but even that can change.
The folks at Tokyo-based company Tanaka Holding are the ones that once again affirmed this so-called axiom. They have developed a new compound.
Some metals can be processed by a laser as part of an SLS process just by themselves. As long as they are ground into a fine enough powder, they can fuse together when sufficiently overheated.
Others need to be mixed with other materials, however, and it appears that Platinum is one such metal. Not that anyone should have expected white gold to go about things normally.
Tanaka Holding have created platinum-based metallic glass powder
Tanaka got a patent for the composition of platinum-based metallic glass in 2004, which means that their product is the culmination of 10 years of research.
That's a long time, and goes to show just how tricky some materials can really be. You might also be interested in knowing that additive manufacturing only came into being two decades before that.
We don't really need to spell out just how many possibilities are open now. The more metals are supported by SLS printers, the more sophisticated items can be made.
For example, currently, 3D printed jewelry isn't really 3D printed. Jewelers only use 3D printed molds to pour liquid metal in.
Now that platinum can be rendered into usable SLS powder, every other precious metal should follow. True 3D printed trinkets are coming, yes. Structures, prototypes and other complex parts are going to benefit from the milestone as well.
Maybe the powdered form of platinum could be used to develop totally new alloys as well, eventually. Once microscopic 3D printing evolves enough perhaps.
Other platinum powder variations
In addition to platinum-based metallic glass powder, Tanaka has created platinum group metallic powder from nickel-based alloys and platinum and iridium additives. Proof of concept objects have been printed to show the viability of the powder compounds.
Tanaka will be showing off its breakthroughs at Powtex Tokyo 2014, between November 26 and 28, 2014. Powtex is an International Powder Technology Exhibition. Sample deliveries will begin on December 1. By then, we should know how the world feels about platinum 3D printing.
Hopefully, we won't only see platinum smartphone covers. We wouldn't be too shocked to see one made for the iPhone though. Apple tends to be ostentatious like that sometimes.
