A major advantage of metal binder jetting is the enormous design freedom. Complex geometries, undercuts, intricate structures or internal channels can be realized without support structures – something that is not possible with many other 3D printing technologies.

Metal Binder Jetting is used, among other things, in:

• Medical technology
• Automotive
• Electronics
• Mechanical and plant engineering
• Industrial and sensor technology

Especially where precision, short development times and cost control are crucial.

This results in high-quality end customer and functional parts.

1. Printing
   The binder jetting process describes the layer-by-layer application of metal powder. A binder is then applied via several thousand nozzles according to the component cross-section in order to bind the loose powder. This process is repeated until the build volume is filled with the metal parts and loose powder.
2. Powder removal
   Once the printing process has been completed and the binder has hardened, the components are transported to a powder station in a construction kit, where the loose powder is removed. An integrated powder recycling system recovers 98% of the loose powder.
3. Sintering
   After powder removal, the metal parts are sintered in a furnace at temperatures of up to 1400 °C. At temperatures of around 400°C, the binder escapes from the component and the molecular chains fuse together, resulting in the desired mechanical properties. The finished metal part is comparable to a cast part with a density of 98%.

Compared to classic MIM, metal binder jetting offers decisive advantages:

• No tooling costs: therefore cost-effective production for quantities of 1 to 10,000 parts
• Reduced time-to-market: production of an iteratively optimized component within 2 to 3 weeks – the production of a series tool takes 5-6 months
• Geometrically complex metal part: no support structures, therefore high design freedom and flexibility in design

The binder jetting process is particularly suitable for quantities of 1 to approx. 10,000 components. Metal Binder Jetting thus closes the gap between prototyping and classic series production within modern 3D printing technologies.

Materials are used that comply with the MIM material standards (MPIF), e.g:

• Stainless steel (e.g. 316L, 17-4PH)
• Tool steels
• Other metallic materials depending on application

This allows components to be produced with properties that are comparable to classic MIM.

Yes, components from the binder jetting process can be further refined using established processes, e.g:

• Electropolishing
• Galvanizing
• Mechanical processing

After sintering, the components achieve a density of up to 98%, comparable to cast metal parts. The mechanical properties make Metal Binder Jetting a reliable 3D printing technology for end applications.

Metal Binder Jetting combines the advantages of classic MIM processes with the flexibility of modern additive manufacturing. Tool-free production, fast iterations and quality suitable for series production make binder jetting one of the most important 3D printing technologies for industrial manufacturing.

Metal Binder Jetting is one of the sinter-based 3D printing technologies. The process is closely related to classic Metal Injection Molding (MIM), but is completely tool-free and significantly more flexible – ideal for prototypes, pre-series and small series.