The company Fortius Metals has landed a lucrative contract from the US Air Force AFWERX. As part of a 1.25 million dollar SBIR contract, the nickel alloy IN625-RAM2 is to be qualified for the large-format 3D printing of hypersonic components.
The RAM (Reactive Additive Manufacturing) technology developed by Fortius Metals optimizes the metal structure and results in up to twice the yield strength of IN625 at room temperature and 50% higher strength values at 800°C – without sacrificing ductility or toughness.
Such improved material properties are essential for the enormous loads in hypersonic applications. With IN625-RAM2 and the Directed Energy Deposition (DED) process, Fortius now intends to produce large-scale prototypes.
The alloy has already been qualified as a powder by the company Elementum 3D for the laser powder bed. Similar properties are now expected for the DED wire deposition process, for which Fortius Metals is driving forward the necessary scaling of wire production.
The AFWERX program accelerates the implementation of innovative SME technologies for US defense through more efficient procurement processes.
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