Heavy industry

_Desktop Metal®

[INDUSTRY OPPORTUNTIES]

[OVERVIEW]

Highly custom, complex parts in hard-to-machine materials

[HEAVY INDUSTRY]

Heavy industries - from industrial equipment manufacturing to chemical processing - require highly customized equipment and manufacturing facilities. Using 3D printing, complex parts can be created without custom tooling or post-processing - reducing per-part costs and enabling new, functionally-optimized designs.

The on-demand production and geometric freedom of 3D printing allows manufacturers to consolidate assemblies, easily produce one-off designs, and reduce costs for spare parts storage.

_Case Study [A]

_Case Study [A]

Simplifying innovation and legacy part creation for heavy industry.

By eliminating the need for hard tooling, the Studio System makes it easy for John Zink Hamworthy Combustion engineers to produce innovative new parts, reproduce parts for which tooling no longer exists and find creative solutions to improving their workflow.

Learn More

Helping heavy industry

_Customers

Leaders in the world of heavy industry rely on Desktop Metal products both to keep current operations running smoothly and to create innovative new designs to help grow their business

[Eaton]
[Weir Group]
[United States Navy]
[John Zink]
[Ontario Power Generation]
[Knight Global]
[MIT Lincoln Laboratory]
[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]
[Owens Corning]
[Unites States Army]

01 - 10

Your material. Printed at any scale.

_Scaling capabilities

Desktop Metal manufactures 3D printing solutions for all scales of production—from complex prototypes and on-demand tooling to rapid manufacture of thousands of parts.

— 01
Quickly 3D print functional prototypes and reduce product development timelines.
Recommended Systems
Rapid Prototyping

Quickly 3D print functional prototypes and reduce product development timelines.
Recommended Systems
- Studio System™
  
  Metal
  
  Office-friendly production of metal parts and prototypes.
- Shop System™
  
  Metal
  
  Batch production of fully dense, customer-ready metal parts.
- X-Series
  
  Metal and Ceramics
  
  Binder jet 3D printing with patented Triple ACT for metals and ceramics.
- Production System™
  
  Metal
  
  High-speed metal 3D printing for mass production
— 02
Produce hundreds of thousands of parts with no tooling required.
Recommended Systems
Mass Production

Produce hundreds of thousands of parts with no tooling required.
Recommended Systems
- Shop System™
  
  Metal
  
  Batch production of fully dense, customer-ready metal parts.
- X-Series
  
  Metal and Ceramics
  
  Binder jet 3D printing with patented Triple ACT for metals and ceramics.
- Production System™
  
  Metal
  
  High-speed metal 3D printing for mass production
— 03
Simplify the manufacturing process and reduce lead times for end use parts.
Recommended Systems
Manufacturing Tooling

Simplify the manufacturing process and reduce lead times for end use parts.
Recommended Systems
- Studio System™
  
  Metal
  
  Office-friendly production of metal parts and prototypes.
- Shop System™
  
  Metal
  
  Batch production of fully dense, customer-ready metal parts.
- X-Series
  
  Metal and Ceramics
  
  Binder jet 3D printing with patented Triple ACT for metals and ceramics.
- Production System™
  
  Metal
  
  High-speed metal 3D printing for mass production

Part Gallery

_Industry applications

With the ability to quickly produce complex components from hard-to-machine materials, 3D printing can help heavy industry firms keep per-part costs low for custom, low-volume parts, while enabling the creation of new designs with greater geometric complexity.

YE6 Burner Tip
316L

This burner tip is used to shape the flame in industrial burners.
YE6 Burner Tip
- Size (mm) 139 x 139 x 86
  
  Cost to print ($) 193.46
  
  Cost to machine ($) 694.00
  
  Cost reduction 72.00%
- This burner tip was originally cast in the 1950s, and the tooling has since been lost for it. When a customer needed a replacement, the quote for new tooling was in the tens of thousands of dollars.
  With the Studio System, the company was able to recreate the part with properties similar to the original cast part, with no tooling cost or long lead times for the customer.
Tri Manifold
Alloy 625

This manifold is used to combine three flows into one common flow.
Tri Manifold
- Size (mm) 108 x 101 x 98
  
  Cost to print ($) 906.00
  
  Cost to DMLS ($) 4069.28
  
  Savings vs. machining 77.74%
- This part converges three flow paths into one via internal channels. These channels would be impossible to machine, and instead would need to be drilled as straight holes and plugged.
  Printing on the Studio System allows these channels to be designed for their function rather than their manufacturing method. This part can be produced in just a few days with very little hands on work.
Down Hole Tool Slip
17-4 PH

This part provides a frictional hold between a packer and a pre-existing pipe during oil extraction
Down Hole Tool Slip
- Size (mm) 57 x 23 x 82
  
  Cost per part ($) 56.31
  
  Parts per build 26
  
  Weekly throughput 205
- This part is a consumable and is lost after pumping is complete, so keeping the price and lead time low are essential. The Shop System allows this part to be manufactured with an accelerated lead time and at lower cost than traditional manufacturing. The Shop system also allows the part design to be changed for different pumping scenarios.
Oil + Gas Impeller
Alloy 625

This impeller is used to flow corrosive chemicals through a pump.
Oil + Gas Impeller
- Size (mm) 109 x 99 x 22
  
  Cost to print ($) 230.00
  
  Cost to DMLS ($) 536.72
  
  Cost reduction 57.15%
- Impellers require complex vanes to optimize pressures in the pump for different fluids and applications. This custom impeller is designed to pump a specific chemical at a specified pressure, requiring these complex custom vanes.
  With chemical impellers, Alloy 625 is the choice material for its chemical resistance and mechanical properties at extreme temperatures.
Pump Housing
17-4 PH

This is part of the housing for a hydraulic pump.
Pump Housing
- Size (mm) 136 x 131 x 47
  
  Cost to print ($) 243.00
  
  Cost to machine ($) 708.68
  
  Savings vs. machining 65.68%
- This part would typically be cast, followed by secondary machining operations - resulting in long lead times and high costs.
  By printing on the Studio System, the long lead time associated with casting can be avoided, and the cost to machine from scratch is greatly reduced - allowing the manufacturer to produce the part in-house and enabling cost-effective rapid design iteration and pilot runs.
Master Drilling Sun Gear
17-4 PH

This part is a sun gear used in a planetary gearbox for an earth-drilling machine.
Master Drilling Sun Gear
- Size (mm) 118 x 118 x 118
  
  Cost to print ($) 658.00
  
  Cost to machine ($) 916.00
  
  Cost reduction 28.17%
- After exploring a number of alternative manufacturing methods to produce the parts needed to keep crucial machinery up and running, Master Drilling chose 3D printing. The switch to 3D printing cut their lead time for replacement parts from about three months for off-shore castings, to just three weeks printing on-site, thereby reducing downtime for the earth drilling equipment.
Bulb Nozzle
17-4 PH

This part is a custom nozzle for use in chemical processing.
Bulb Nozzle
- Size (mm) 38 x 38 x 46
  
  Cost per part ($) 29.12
  
  Parts per build 27
  
  Weekly throughput 319
- Traditional manufacturing of this part would require casting followed by extensive secondary machining on a 5 axis CNC. Because only a few hundred of this nozzle needed to be manufactured, it was a great fit for the Shop System.
  By printing, the entire order of nozzles could be produced on the Shop System in less than a week with only one secondary thread-tapping operation required.
UHT Atomizer
316L

This part is a fuel atomizer for a steam boiler on a liquid natural gas (LNG) tanker.
UHT Atomizer
- Size (mm) 74 x 74 x 71
  
  Cost to print ($) 129.00
  
  Cost to DMLS ($) 1089.00
  
  Cost reduction 88.00%
- This 3D printed atomizer features complex internal channels and oblong shaped holes, which could not be manufactured with traditional methods. With the Studio System, the engineers were able to radically redesign their conventional atomizers for significantly better performance.
Housing
4140

This housing is used to integrate multiple internal moving components.
Housing
- Size (mm) 133 x 120 x 145
  
  Cost to print ($) 918.00
  
  Cost to machine ($) 2478.44
  
  Cost reduction 63.00%
- This part was, at one time, cast in high quantities but the manufacturing lines no longer operate.
  Metal 3D printing allows for this housing to be produced with no tooling, on demand, allowing for replacement of legacy parts, like this, to happen in a few days rather than a few months.
Flower Nozzle
316L

This flower nozzle is used to atomize fluid in industrial equipment.
Flower Nozzle
- Size (mm) 123 x 123 x 45
  
  Cost to print ($) 184.00
- Due to its complex geometry, these parts would typically be cast followed by extensive secondary machining. With the Studio System, the nozzle can be 3D printed without the lead times and setup costs of casting, enabling one-off and small batch orders.
Heat Exchanger
Copper

This heat exchanger is designed to help dissipate heat from an electric motor.
Heat Exchanger
- Size (mm) 83 x 57 x 33
  
  Cost to print ($) 78.00
  
  Cost to machine ($) 1193.27
  
  Cost reduction 93.46%
- This part attaches to an electric motor to help dissipate heat while the motor operates.
  The Studio System allows for the heat exchanger to perfectly conform to motor shape, allowing heat to more efficiently move into the heat exchanger. Machining the tall, thin fins is challenging due to chattering as the fins are cut - printing allows for their manufacturing with ease.
Impeller
316L

This impeller is used to control the pressure and flow of fluids in equipment like pumps and compressors.
Impeller
- Size (mm) 82 x 82 x 28
  
  Cost to print ($) 63.00
  
  Cost to machine ($) 2138.00
  
  Cost reduction 97.05%
- Their complex vanes make impellers expensive and difficult to manufacture. When a custom impeller is needed metal 3D printing accelerates design optimization and product development by dramatically reducing lead time and cost.
Bearing Housing
17-4 PH

This housing is used to hold pressed-fit bearings in place in a machine.
Bearing Housing
- Size (mm) 73 x 65 x 30
  
  Cost per part ($) 72.89
  
  Parts per build 24
  
  Weekly throughput 192
- This part needed to be produced quickly out of steel. Using the Shop System, the required parts were printed in just 4 days and were ready for assembly in less than a week, requiring almost no operator labor.
  Printing on the Shop System also dramatically reduced manufacturing lead time compared to traditional manufacturing methods.
Roller Screw
17-4 PH

This part is a roller screw for use in a linear actuator.
Roller Screw
- Size (mm) 28 x 28 x 88
  
  Cost to print ($) 48.00
  
  Cost to machine ($) 210.00
  
  Cost reduction 77.14%
- This part was traditionally made by cutting the threads on a lathe, then welding two gears either end of the part.
  By printing this part on the Studio System the assembly can be consolidated into one part and be produced quicker and more affordably than traditional machining.
Fuel Swirler
17-4 PH

This swirler is used to push the diesel fuel mix into the burner.
Fuel Swirler
- Size (mm) 30 x 30 x 10
  
  Cost per part ($) 8.22
  
  Parts per build 299
  
  Weekly throughput 1,496
- Swirlers are an essential component of burners; small changes to the geometry can have drastic effects on burner performance, fuel efficiency, power output, etc.
  Printing on the Shop System allowed for the part to be produced with no tooling, allowing for the printed geometry to be changed easily to adapt for different burners and fuel mixes. Printing also significantly shortened the manufacturing lead time and lowered the part cost.