WHA 3D Printing using Mold Slurry Deposition (MoldJet) - A Way to Produce Highly Stressed Complex Tool Inserts with Tool-Specific Cooling

The present study investigates the processing of tungsten heavy alloy (WHA) in sinter-based additive manufacturing. A process chain was developed for the processing of a Densimet 185 (97 % W, remainder Ni, Fe) metal powder into a paste and its subsequent 3D printing using the MoldJet process. The possibility of producing tool inserts with tool-specific cooling and the advantages of combining additive manufacturing and WHA will be demonstrated. The MoldJet process is a novel, sinter-based additive manufacturing technology, which enables the production of a wide range of geometries without the need for support structures. The challenges of developing a metal powder suspension for the process, the thermal debinding and sintering are discussed. Finally, the resulting microstructures as well as the chemical and mechanical properties of the material are presented.