Sandvik Additive Manufacturing announces creation of 3D printed diamond composite

Sandvik Additive Manufacturing has created a 3D printed diamond composite. While this diamond does not sparkle, it is perfect for a wide range of industrial uses. The new process means that this super-hard material can now be 3D printed in highly complex shapes and can thereby revolutionise the way industry uses the hardest natural material on the planet.

The diamond composite will be unveiled at the RAPID + TCT show in Detroit May 21 - 23, 2019, North America’s event for Additive Manufacturing.

Diamond is harder than anything else in nature. It is a key component in a large range of wear resistant tools in industry, from mining and drilling to machining and also medical implants. Since 1953 it has been possible to produce synthetic diamond, but since it’s so hard and complicated to machine, it is almost impossible to form complex shapes.

Until now, production of super hard diamond materials only has allowed for a few simple geometric configurations to be formed. By using additive manufacturing and a tailor-made, proprietary post-processing method, Sandvik has managed to 3D-print diamond composites which can be formed into almost any shape.

The difference between Sandvik’s diamond and natural or synthetic diamond is that Sandvik’s is a composite material. Most of the material is diamond, but to make it printable and dense it needs to be cemented in a very hard matrix material, keeping the most important physical properties of pure diamond.

Due to Sandvik’s use of additive manufacturing, diamond components can now be created application ready, in very complex shapes, without the need for further machining. This will open up the possibility of using it in applications that were previously considered impossible.

“Historically, 3D printing in diamond was something that none of us imagined was achievable,” explained Anders Ohlsson, Delivery Manager at Sandvik Additive Manufacturing. “Even now we are just starting to grasp the possibilities and applications that this breakthrough could have.

“On seeing its potential, we began to wonder what else would be possible from 3D-printing complex shapes in a material that is three times stiffer than steel, with heat conductivity higher than copper, the thermal expansion close to Invar – and with a density close to aluminium. These benefits make us believe that you will see this diamond composite in new advanced industrial applications ranging from wear parts to space programs, in just a few years from now.”

The step after the 3D-printing is however even more demanding. This is where Sandvik has developed a tailor-made, proprietary post processing method making it possible to achieve the exact properties of the super-hard diamond composite.

A key advantage of additive manufacturing is that it allows engineers to minimize material waste, making the technology more sustainable. The diamond powder in Sandvik’s process can be extracted from the polymer in the slurry after the printing, and then be recycled and reused in another print-job.

The diamond composite has been tested and found to have extremely high hardness, exceptional heat conductivity, while also possessing low density, very good thermal expansion and fantastic corrosion resistance.

“We now have the ability to create strong diamond composites in very complex shapes through additive manufacturing, which fundamentally will change the way industries will be able to use this material. As of now, the only limit to how this super-hard material can be shaped and used is down to the designer’s imagination,” Mikael Schuisky concluded.

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