What Is the Role of Sintering in Binder Jetting? (Video)
And how strong are green parts prior to sintering? Filmed at HP, here is a look at sintering, including the shrinkage from green to sintered binder jet parts.
Binder jetting is an additive manufacturing process that involves no melting, but it does employ sintering (compaction through heating) to bring the part to its final, functional strength. Sintering shrinks the volume of the binder jet part by 15 to 16%, but the shrinkage is predictable, repeatable and can be modeled in software, allowing for fine dimensional precision despite the size change. Prior to sintering, the strength of the “green” part comes from the binder holding the powder metal together. A strong binder allows for binder jetting of larger 3D printed parts and more complex features, while also giving green parts the ruggedness for handling in production. On a recent visit to HP’s facility in Corvallis, Oregon, I visited the furnace room where parts made through the company’s Metal Jet binder jetting system are sintered, and had the chance to film this video showing both green and sintered parts.
Related: What is binder jetting, more on the Metal Jet system and an example of a production part made through binder jetting.
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