NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The ExOne Company (Nasdaq: XONE), the global leader in industrial sand and metal 3D printers using binder jetting technology, today announced an agreement to optimize its sand 3D printers for use with premium Naigai Cerabeads® from ITOCHU Ceratech Corporation, a leading Japanese ceramic product manufacturer.
Cerabeads® are a premium ceramic foundry sand used to create molds and cores for metal casting high-value products in the automotive, oil & gas, mining and construction industries. That includes cylinder blocks and hydraulic valves, as well as pumps, impellers and tools.
Compared to natural sand and other foundry media, Cerabeads® deliver mold and core packages with a range of benefits:
- Higher-strength sandcasting packages
- High heat resistance, with low thermal expansion
- Improved final part resolution and surface finish
- Reduced waste and dust, with high reclamation value
In use at more than 100 foundries worldwide, Cerabeads® deliver outstanding results with a range of metals, including steels (low-alloy, carbon, and stainless), iron (gray, ductile), aluminum, and other metals where tight control and surface finish is desired.
As part of its agreement, ExOne will develop and optimize the process settings of its S-Print®, S-Max®, and S-Max Pro™ sand 3D printers for use with Naigai Cerabeads®. ExOne will continue to offer ITOCHU’s Cerabeads® with its 3D printing technology as an optimized package to its North American customers.
About ExOne
ExOne is the pioneer and global leader in binder jet 3D printing technology. Since 1995, we’ve been on a mission to deliver powerful 3D printers that solve the toughest problems and enable world-changing innovations. Our 3D printing systems quickly transform powder materials — including metals, ceramics, composites and sand — into precision parts, metalcasting molds and cores, and innovative tooling solutions. Industrial customers use our technology to save time and money, reduce waste, improve their manufacturing flexibility, and deliver designs and products that were once impossible. As home to the world’s leading team of binder jetting experts, ExOne also provides specialized 3D printing services, including on-demand production of mission-critical parts, as well as engineering and design consulting. Learn more about ExOne at www.exone.com or on Twitter at @ExOneCo. We invite you to join with us to #MakeMetalGreen™.
