Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing - Sept/Oct '23 - 25

PAINT AND COATINGS MANUFACTURING: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
aluminum chemistries don't respond well, " says Slade. " We
use 2000 and 5000 series, which both work very well with
AM parts. "
Hamann adds, " A lot of aluminum are casting grades that
have a lot of silica in them and don't like to be anodised. And
the 6061 and 7075 grades are challenging to weld. So there are
some inherent challenges with those grades of materials for
AM, but there are people making special alloys that will be
comparable to those. "
With some of these complex geometries, accessing inside
chambers or cavities might not be possible for coating and
finishing. But for components that require anti-corrosive
properties, such function can be incorporated into the
formulation of the powder material.
" We have several customers in oil and gas, and they're
very interested in corrosion resistance, " says Slade. " The way
they deal with that traditionally is to put a welded overlay or
cladding over the structural base metal. These overlays are
things like stainless steel or nickel alloys. With AM, we can
produce that overlay as we're producing the part by changing
the material that we're depositing. So in theory you can make
very complicated structures with an internal feature that
comes pre-manufactured with corrosion resistance. "
Kirby is also on the board of directors for Canada Makes,
a not-for-profit association that represents the additive
ecosystem in Canada.
" We have 65 members right now ranging from 3D printing
bureaus and machine manufacturers to universities and
academic institutions, " says Kirby. " At the University of
Waterloo, I work with big 3D printing bureaus such as
Precision ADM and Axis Prototypes Inc. and those that
produce raw materials such as Equispheres in Mississauga,
Ont. "
Canada Makes aims to bring people together and
network nationally and internationally. On its website
Canadamakes.ca there is an " Ask The Experts " button where
those outside of the association can ask for help. Using a B2B
network portal, Canada Makes can connect companies with
the appropriate expertise.
" We are trying to be a one-stop shop where people can find
answers and access the capabilities available within Canada
Makes, " says Kirby. " What we're finding is that nobody has
all the answers and Canada has solutions that nobody else
has-they're niche, but it's an important niche. "
According to Kirby, coating a printed part is still a research
topic, but it is equally an opportunity for the industry to work
together and develop the best solutions for this growing AM
market.
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September/October 2023
25
http://www.Canadamakes.ca http://www.fischer-technology.com
Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing - Sept/Oct '23

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