Nexa3D Adds Metal 3D Printing Capabilities With ColdMetalFusion

Nexa3D, a provider of ultrafast polymer 3D printing technology, is joining the sintering-based metal additive manufacturing space with ColdMetalFusion. With this move, the company says it is enabling its customers to break the productivity barriers in metal part production by making Headmade Materials’ unique feedstock technology compatible with its fast-cycle QLS lineup of SLS 3D printers.

Following the acquisition of XYZ’s selective laser sintering (SLS) technology earlier this year, the company is further expanding its SLS capabilities by entering the metal additive field through this strategic collaboration with Headmade Materials. Using its feedstock technology for ColdMetalFusion — a sinter-based 3D printing process that combines the advantages of polymer laser sintering with established powder metallurgy processes — Nexa3D customers are now able to produce production metal components with the QLS 230, QLS 236 and QLS 820 high-throughput SLS printers.

Nexa3D says it has worked to pioneer high-speed polymer 3D printing, consistently breaking barriers of possibilities in additive production. By joining forces with Headmade Materials, Nexa3D says it is able to bring its expertise and experience in ultrafast serial production to the ColdMetalFusion ecosystem that thrives on performance, repeatability and precision.

“We are impressed by the speed and throughput capabilities of Nexa3D technology and couldn’t be more excited to partner with them to expand access and adoption of ColdMetal Fusion technology,” says Christian Fischer, Co-CEO of Headmade Materials.

Together with Headmade, Nexa3D will leverage the ecosystem around ColdMetalFusion and provide its customers with access to decades of experience in sintering and traditional industrial manufacturing. The companies will be able to offer services, equipment, materials, software and know-how to customers in the metal manufacturing industry. Nexa3D looks to make an impact in the metal manufacturing industry, bringing its passion for sustainable digitization of supply chains to the metals space.

The QLS series printers offer a flexible industrial SLS platform for polymer and metal parts production. Providing a 24-hour cycle speed using a single 30-W CO₂ laser, the QLS 230 is able to produce metal parts with reliable metal injection molding-like properties. In fact, MIMplus Technologies has been using the QLS 230 in combination with ColdMetalFusion technology to successfully print industrial cutting tools, achieving exponential production savings when compared to traditional manufacturing methods.

“We are thrilled to partner with Headmade for ColdMetalFusion because we believe it provides our customers with best-in-class production economics for manufacturing metal components,” says John Calhoun, head of SLS business development at Nexa3D.

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• Read more about Nexa3D’s QLS 820 High-Throughput Laser Sintering Platform. This high-throughput thermoplastic production system combines ultrafast printing with open materials and cloud-based software platform to deliver production volumes much greater than other powder-bed solutions on the market.