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For the powder, the molten steel customized for 3D printing is crushed with a high-pressure atomizing gas, resulting in small spherical droplets that solidify into a powder.

At SSAB's Borlänge operations, Signode belts are used to prevent the unwinding of coils and ensure safe transport. The straps are held place by a stamping function that locks the ends of the strap together.

Some of the tire machines in use are old and acquiring spare parts from the supplier became difficult to impossible. A solution to the problem had to be found, prompting the maintenance department to look for new supply chains for spare parts. It was decided at this point to test an alternative method that can be used to quickly produce parts - 3D printing.

The stamp blanks were produced by 3D printing at SSAB in Oxelösund, Sweden. After printing, the stamps were processed to the final tolerance and sent for laser hardening of the wear surfaces.

"3D printing together with SSAB TS2 powder produces a material that is both hard and tough, and with laser hardening of the material, we have obtained a product that has performed beyond expectations," says Jesper Vang, Director of Powder Technology at SSAB.

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The picture on the left shows an attached coil. The middle picture shows what the strap looks like after piercing. The picture on the right shows the locking mechanism and the stamp made with 3D printing and laser hardening can be seen in the middle of the picture.

Promising results

Laser hardening is based on heating the surface with the energy of the laser beam and then cooling it quickly, i.e. cooling it with the surrounding material. The main advantage of laser hardening is that only the surface that needs more hardness is hardened, which gives low energy consumption and thus minimal distortions.

Laser-hardened 3D-printed stamps were found to have a lifespan three times longer than previously-used stamps. In addition to a better service life, manufacturing costs are also significantly lower.

The upper part is a 3D printed blank and the lower part is finished and laser hardened after production use.

"We are currently looking for more components for SSAB's various facilities, where the advantages of 3D printing and laser hardening can be utilized."

Emission-free steel powder

Steel production is a significant source of carbon dioxide emissions in the 3D printing of steel products. SSAB has recently launched the world's first emission-free steel powder, which has already been delivered to some customers. Last year, 3 HT

Laser 3D-printed the first fossil-free steel component suitable for a forest machine"The strong steel components of 3D printing help reduce the amount and weight of the raw material used and increase the functionality of the final product. This is especially important in weight-saving industries such as the automotive industry or heavy machinery. It increases performance and reduces their CO2 footprint," says Jesper Vang.

SSAB Zero® is steel made from recycled scrap using fossil-free energy sources, resulting in virtually zero emissions from the steelmaking process.

Text and images: SSAB