Constellium’s additive manufacturing powder solutions qualified by Burloak Technologies

Constellium announced the qualification by Burloak Technologies, a leading North American additive manufacturing (AM) services provider with locations in both Canada and the US, of Constellium’s additive manufacturing powder solution Aheadd® CP1, following a yearlong development program.  

The development enables new opportunities to develop and produce aluminium Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) components with properties that cannot be achieved with traditional AM aluminium alloys. The development program included both alloy process development and supply chain qualification. Constellium has partnered with Burloak Technologies due to Burloak’s additive manufacturing expertise and fully vertically integrated facility, with heat treatment, five-axis CNC machining, and laboratory capabilities in-house.  

“The results have shown that CP1 offers a significant improvement over traditional aluminium alloys like AlSi10Mg. The simplified heat treatment and improved physical properties enable Burloak to leverage Constellium Aheadd® CP1 alloy and push the boundaries for both structural and functional applications such as RF and heat exchangers” stated Jason Ball, Vice President and General Manager, Burloak Technologies. “Our in-house metallurgical lab allowed us to easily integrate Aheadd® CP1 in our proven manufacturing process to ensure that we will be able to scale up the printing process and supply high-quality components” added Mr. Ball. 

Constellium S.E, by leveraging its knowledge and expertise in Aluminium, developed and industrialized Aheadd® CP1 alloy in 2020. “At Constellium, we design and manufacture advanced alloys and engineered solutions for a range of applications. For the additive manufacturing product line our team designed the Aheadd® CP1 alloy specifically for the LPBF process to facilitate new possibilities for AM components,” stated Syam Unnikrishnan, Constellium’s additive manufacturing business development manager. “The alloy's well-balanced mechanical properties and ease of printing and post-processing make Aheadd® CP1 the alloy of choice to cover a wide range of aluminium LPBF applications.”  

Both Burloak Technologies and Constellium are optimistic about the future opportunities for Aheadd® CP1-based applications. The alloy is expected to be well-suited for use in various industrial segments such as aviation, space, defense and many others. Burloak is able to build on their proven AM heritage in challenging applications like space flight to tailor a custom solution and leverage the inherent strengths of Aheadd® CP1 to enhance the performance of its customer's printed components, whether they are structural, RF or thermal management.