The customer is a leading U.S. federal laboratory and a leading American research institute in metal additive manufacturing (AM). They have extensive experience in AM of refractory metals and first-class expertise in materials development, testing, and characterization. Freemelt has developed the unique open-source research machine Freemelt ONE, based on E-PBF (Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion) technology, which has excellent capability of efficiently printing refractory metal parts with the highest material properties. The customer orders the Freemelt ONE machine for developing material processes and to industrialize E-PBF-manufactured refractory components, and the two parties enter a long-term collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Refractory metals, with their unique properties, are critical materials for a selection of highly demanding applications. Refractory metals are very challenging to manufacture by using traditional manufacturing methods and to get the extreme material properties. This is why AM and E-PBF technology in particular is attractive, as it enables the possibility to manufacture parts with less design limitations, with the highest material properties, and in the most efficient way.

Adding a Freemelt ONE machine to the customer’s world-leading research facilities will enable new opportunities for groundbreaking material research and application development of refractory metals for critical components.

Freemelt CEO Daniel Gidlund comments:
“I’m proud and excited about this major achievement and critical milestone for Freemelt, as this customer brings world-class experience, competence, and expertise within the E-PBF area, and their role in influencing and educating the U.S. industry in the industrialization of additive manufacturing. We see a constant and rapidly increasing demand for printing parts in various refractory metals for challenging applications. The fact that this prominent customer will use a Freemelt ONE machine in their advanced and successful research is a strong confirmation of Freemelt’s role in enabling efficient manufacturing of refractory metal parts. Freemelt’s technology will play a critical role in the future use of refractory metals in applications such as fusion energy, defense, and other critical and challenging applications.”