Sandvik Creates First 3D Printed Diamond Composite

Sandvik Additive Manufacturing has created the first-ever 3D printed diamond composite that is perfect for a wide range of industrial uses. Using additive manufacturing (AM), the diamond composites can be formed in almost any shape, opening the possibility of using it in applications that were previously considered impossible.

“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,” said Mikael Schuisky, head of R&D and Operations at Sandvik Additive Manufacturing.

Sandvik’s 3D printed 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.

According to Schuisky, the additive manufacturing process used to create the 3D printed diamond composite is highly advanced. “We are printing in a slurry consisting of diamond powder and polymer using a method called stereolithography, where complex parts are produced, layer by layer, using ultraviolet light. 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,” he explained.

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. It was unveiled at the RAPID + TCT show, North America’s leading event for additive manufacturing, which is happening this week (May 21–23, 2019) in Detroit, Michigan.

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