MolyWorks Streamlines Production With 3D Systems’ Direct Metal Printing Solution

MolyWorks, a California-based developer of a circular economy for metal, has integrated 3D Systems’ DMP Flex 350 into its manufacturing workflow. DMP Flex 350’s large print volume, vacuum chamber enables MolyWorks to be more agile and efficient than with a previous metal 3D printer.

As a result, MolyWorks says it has achieved significant efficiency improvements in its production process, and opportunities to enhance its breadth of capabilities by delivering additively manufactured end-use parts to its customers. With these advantages, MolyWorks has also grown its customer base, including the work the company is conducting alongside the U.S. Air Force to evaluate 3D-printed flight-critical parts.

The company says metal additive manufacturing (AM) has become a trusted technology to create airworthy parts with reduced weight and improved performance. With the ability to facilitate rapid design and production of consolidated components, AM helps accelerate the certification process and optimizes the entire supply chain.

As a producer of metal powder that is used to produce high-quality metal parts, MolyWorks needed an AM solution that seamlessly integrated with its workflow. It chose 3D Systems’ DMP Flex 350 due to its unique vacuum chamber architecture which is critical when manufacturing parts from titanium — a material that has become a standard alloy for aerospace applications. The vacuum chamber maintains a low oxygen environment (<25 ppm) which reduces argon gas consumption and produces an excellent surface finish with fine feature detail.

MolyWorks is also taking advantage of the DMP Flex 350’s optional removable print module (RPM). Being able to swap out the RPM enables its team to perform a quick cleanout and get the machine back up and running with another material in a short amount of time. 

Additionally, the DMP Flex 350 includes Oqton’s 3DXpert software which supports every step of the AM workflow — from design to postprocessing — to quickly and efficiently transition from a 3D model to successfully printed parts. This single software solution for modeling, simulation and manufacturing eliminates the need to rely on multiple software packages. Efficiencies driven by 3DXpert can enable up to 75% faster file processing time and increase productivity by up to 40%, the company says.

“The high-value applications we are addressing with additive manufacturing require us to have a metal 3D printing solution that can maintain a very low internal oxygen level,” says Devin Morrow, director of AM, MolyWorks. “The DMP Flex 350, with its unique vacuum chamber, performs in a different class than competitive machines. The vacuum architecture reduces O2 levels to less than 25 ppm and delivers better chemistry control in finished parts and high levels of powder reuse. Being able to seamlessly transition from design and optimization in 3DXpert to production with the DMP Flex 350 has really helped us streamline our process.”

For rapid design or product iteration, Molywork’s founder Chris Eonta says 3D Systems’ DMP Flex 350 is unmatched. “Having this industry-leading solution in our facility is expanding our vision of what can be 3D printed in our processes,” Eonta adds. “We’re very impressed by the quality of the landing gear components we’re producing with this printer that will be tested for airworthiness, and are looking forward to the additional applications we will address.”

3D Systems’ Direct Metal Printing solutions are designed to deliver value in highly-regulated markets such as aerospace. “The combination of our industry-leading technology, Oqton’s software and our deep applications expertise enables us to help innovative companies like MolyWorks continue to push the boundaries,” says Dr. Michael Shepard, vice president, aerospace and defense segment, 3D Systems. I look forward to seeing how the MolyWorks team continues to realize the benefits of the DMP Flex 350, and the future opportunities for growth we can explore.”

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