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On August 22, under the promotion of the Shenzhen 3D Printing Association, graphene R&D company Eigen Equation and metal 3D printing service provider Huayang New Materials engaged in a special technical exchange. The two parties focused on the core topic of “graphene-coated metal powder”, aiming to break the long-standing quality bottleneck in the metal additive manufacturing industry, marking a new step for Shenzhen in the field of cross-industry innovation in new materials.
3D Printing in Aerospace Applications
As one of the three major engines of Shenzhen’s cutting-edge new materials industry, metamaterials, graphene, and 3D printing have formed a global influence: Shenzhen is the birthplace of global metamaterial technology, the first to achieve the industrialization of graphene, and has become the “world’s first city for consumer-grade 3D printing” with high cost performance and innovative technology. Among them, Shenzhen’s 3D printing has built a complete industrial chain, cultivating leading enterprises that occupy a share of the global market. Consumables, as the core of 3D printing, include mainstream materials such as thermoplastics (PLA/ABS), engineering materials (nylon/PEEK), photopolymer resins, metal/ceramic powders, and special functional consumables (such as conductive materials). Graphene, a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice structure material composed of carbon atoms in sp² hybrid orbitals, is known as the “king of new materials” and is one of the thinnest and strongest materials known, possessing excellent electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and light transmittance. The integration of graphene with 3D printing may become a new and highly challenging attempt.
On one side is Eigen Equation, a leader in graphene technology, and on the other is Huayang New Materials, a provider of full-chain services for metal 3D printing. The two parties engaged in in-depth dialogue and cooperation discussions. Eigen Equation has made significant breakthroughs in technology R&D, successfully achieving low-cost mass production of single-layer graphene through its unique liquid-phase synthesis technology. This achievement has allowed the company’s products to be widely used in important fields such as conductive pastes and new energy batteries, injecting new vitality into the industry. Meanwhile, Huayang New Materials has also demonstrated strong comprehensive strength, building a complete industrial chain from equipment to materials to services, with clients including AVIC, China Aerospace, BYD, and many other high-end manufacturing enterprises, establishing a good reputation in the industry.
3D Printed Components for Aerospace Engines
During the discussions, both parties focused on the application of graphene nanomaterials in 3D printing. In the 3D printing process, the characteristics of metal powders are one of the key challenges affecting print quality. The particle size distribution of different metal powders varies greatly; for example, the ideal particle size range for titanium alloy powder is 50 – 150 microns. If the particle size exceeds this range, it will severely affect the uniformity of powder spreading, leading to inconsistent density in printed parts, which in turn affects the forming quality. The unique properties of graphene nanomaterials, especially graphene-coated metal powders such as copper, nickel, chromium carbide, and tungsten carbide, provide new opportunities to address this challenge. Research shows that graphene nanomaterials not only help reduce printing temperatures and improve laser absorption rates but also effectively enhance material performance, potentially playing an important role in precisely controlling powder production processes and achieving stable particle size distribution, thereby improving the quality and performance of 3D printed products.
3D Printed Automotive Pillars
This exchange between the two companies is not only another initiative by the association to promote collaborative innovation in industry, academia, and research but also a breakthrough practice in the cross-industry innovation of graphene and 3D printing technology. The association will continue to monitor the cooperation dynamics between the two parties, leverage its resource integration advantages, organize more technical collisions, accelerate the innovation and industrialization process of new material technologies, and inject stronger momentum into the development of the new materials industry in Shenzhen and across the country.
