Mitsubishi Corp Technos and Sumitomo Electric collaborate in contract manufacturing

August 17, 2023

Binder jet method enables high-speed production of complex parts

Mitsubishi Corporation Technos (Tokyo; President: Masataka Shimazu) and Sumitomo Electric Industries have formed a partnership as of July 2023 to offer contract manufacturing services for mass production of metal parts using metal 3D printers.

Mitsubishi Corporation Technos operates the third-generation “H3” machine developed by General Electric (GE), which it distributes in Japan. The H3 uses the binder jetting (BJ) method, in which metal powder is bound with a binder and sintered, offering much higher productivity than conventional laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) methods.

Compared to laser-based printers, the BJ method is said to improve productivity by 50 to 100 times, significantly reducing manufacturing costs. The H3 also supports large part production up to 250 mm in diameter.

Leveraging Sumitomo Electric’s sintering expertise

The collaboration takes advantage of Sumitomo Electric’s experience in sintered parts, making the partnership suitable for applications in automotive and industrial machinery.

Initially, the companies aim to produce prototypes and development parts without the use of molds, particularly for high-value-added parts with complex geometries. In the future, they plan to accept orders for mass-produced parts and are also considering the establishment of a joint venture company.