Center of new materials and additive technologies

The center of new materials and additive technologies is a technology laboratory opened by Tech Garden in December 2018 in collaboration with Metalysis Inc. Transfers advanced technology for the production of metal powders, which will reduce the cost of production by 35%, as well as process tailings and dumps of the mining and metallurgical complex of Kazakhstan.

Tasks of the center:

1. The establishment of pilot line production of metal powders:

  • Conducting analytical and marketing research;
  • Conducting R&D on raw materials of subsurface users of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

2. Certification of metal powders for the international market:

  • Proficient production of metal powders;
  • Technological integration and transfer.

3. Construction and commissioning of the plant on production of metal powders:

  • Industrial production of metal powders;
  • Scaling of additive manufacturing in Kazakhstan;
  • Training and retraining of personnel.

4. Industry 4.0:

  • Creating a high-value-added enterprise.

Center opportunities:

Development of the national export base of metal powders and alloys for additive engineering (production of micro-powders — aluminum and alloys, titanium and alloys, nickel and alloys, cobalt and alloys, rare earth metals, etc.).

Research and development of production processes for 3D powders and alloys from Kazakhstan raw materials, including processing of technological waste.

Implementation of pilot projects in production to create a new perspective conversion in the industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the production of metal powder.

Goals of the center:

The goal of the Center is engineering and integration of additive technologies in the production of Kazakhstan. 3D printing technology from metal powders will change mass production.

Many small productions will print the necessary parts and products depending on the order and consumer preferences — customization. 3D printing technology allows you to produce more diverse and structurally complex parts, starting from the stage of computer design and modeling. It will also allow reducing emergency downtime of equipment in the absence of non-standard spare parts and long delivery times due to on-site manufacturing using additive technologies.

General data on the potential market:

OPPORTUNITIES

Market development and increase in added value.

The cost of aluminum in ingots from ERG is $2/kg. The cost of an additive aluminum alloy is from $150/kg (the same pig aluminum is used).

MARKET POTENTIAL

The market for additive technologies is estimated at $22 billion by 2020 with an annual growth of 20% (Wohlers Association 2018).

Implemented projects

Production of powder aluminum alloys for ERG

As part of a joint pilot project of our foundation and Metalysis, R&D on raw materials of the ERG group of companies has been completed to obtain powder alloys using the technology of Metalysis. A batch of alumina-containing alumina from the ERG fields was shipped to the UK as a raw material. The final products were aluminum-titanium (AlTi) and titanium-aluminum-vanadium (Ti4Al6V) alloys, which were presented at the World Mining Congress in June 2018 in Astana.

Partners of the center:

Metalysis

Technology of electrochemical production of metals and metal alloys.

Termolazer

Solutions in the field of laser thermal hardening, surfacing, alloying, welding and other types of processing.

Stereotech

5D technology for the production of unique durable products relevant to all industries.

Anisoprint

Technology for the production of optimal composite structures using 3D printing of continuous fiber composites.

NDM

The company is implementing a project to develop new technology and equipment for the production of fine metal powders.