3D Printing System Incorporates H13 Tool Steel for Hot and Cold Tooling Applications

Desktop Metal announced the launch of H13 tool steel for the Studio System, a metal 3D-printing system for prototyping and low volume production. Characterized by its stability in heat treatment, exceptional hot hardness and abrasion resistance, H13 is a tool steel widely used in hot work applications. High toughness and hardness also make it an ideal metal for cold work tooling applications.

According to the company, including H13 tool steel will enable designers and engineers to print such items as mold inserts for rapid iteration and reduction of manufacturing lead times, as well as achieve complex geometries.

Early applications of H13 parts printed with the Studio System illustrate the benefits across a variety of industries. H13 is an ideal material for molding asthma inhaler mouthpieces, due to its hot hardness and abrasion resistance. With the company’s 3D-printing system, the part can incorporate a conformal cooling channel, increasing the cooling rate of the mold and reducing the cycle time. It also reduces the wear on EDM tooling required to finish the mold, reducing both lead time and costs. Using the 3D-printing system with H13 tool steel enables design teams to quickly produce dies featuring complex extrusion profiles. With the system’s high resolution nozzle, users can achieve the fine details required for molding fashion/consumer products, such as logos, textures and subtle draft angles, saving time and costs. H13’s hot work capability also enables fabricating molds for die casting applications.

H13 is the latest addition to the Studio System materials library, which also includes 316L and 17-4 PH stainless steels. Desktop Metal plans to introduce additional core metals to its portfolio, including superalloys, carbon steels and copper.