Over 60% of China's Medical-Grade 3D Printed Tantalum Powder Comes from This Guangdong Company
Stardust Technology (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., founded in 2019, is a technology transfer project from the Institute of New Materials, Guangdong Academy of Sciences. The company specializes in the R&D, production, and sales of high-end refractory metal powders, and is recognized as a national high-tech enterprise and a Guangdong 'Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, and Innovative' enterprise. With radio frequency (RF) plasma spheroidization at its core, Stardust has mastered multiple process routes for producing spherical powders of rare and refractory metals and compounds, achieving full self-reliance in core technologies. It offers integrated solutions combining high-end equipment, spherical powders, and 3D printing. Key capabilities include RF plasma spheroidization with temperatures up to 10,000°C, handling materials with melting points above 3,422°C (e.g., tungsten), achieving sphericity ≥95% and purity ≥99.95%. The company produces spherical elemental powders (Ta, Nb, W) with purity >99.95%, oxygen content <200 ppm, and sphericity ≥98%, as well as alloy powders and refractory high-entropy alloy powders. It holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485:2016, and GJB9001C-2017 certifications, and serves industries such as aerospace, biomedical, nuclear energy, defense, communications, and semiconductors. With over 30 years of technical accumulation, Stardust offers 150+ metal powder grades, holds a 70% market share in medical tantalum powder, and has supported 2,000+ implant surgeries.
2026-08-03
EN ISO/ASTM 52951:2026 Released: First Unified International Standard for Additive Manufacturing Part Information Management
In July–August 2026, ISO and ASTM jointly published EN ISO/ASTM 52951:2026, marking the first international standard to unify methods, modules, and data models for part information management in additive manufacturing. The standard harmonizes data structures and description formats for part information across various AM processes (LPBF, DED, EBM, BJ, etc.) and material systems.
Earlier, six Chinese national standards for metal additive manufacturing took effect on August 1, 2026 (covering zinc powder, aluminum alloy powder, LPBF quality grading, endoscope inspection atlas, coordinator qualification, etc.), essentially completing the domestic standardization framework. The concurrent release of EN ISO/ASTM 52951 signals a shift from individual national standardization efforts toward globally recognized interoperability in AM.
A unified part information standard is critical for supply chain management—when powder suppliers, print service providers, and end users describe part requirements in a common language, the cost and risk of switching between suppliers drop significantly. This is a key step in transitioning AM from customization to industrialization.
Value for powder buyers: ① The unified information standard will lower technical documentation barriers when switching powder suppliers—future powder certification data can flow between users in a standardized format. ② Powder suppliers need to align early with the 52951 data model, structuring product technical parameters (particle size distribution, oxygen content, flowability, etc.) according to the standard to enhance digital traceability. ③ Monitor the coordination between 52951 and the six new Chinese national standards, as dual compliance will become essential for export-oriented powder companies.
2026-08-03
GE Aerospace's Cold Fusion LPBF Cooling System: HDPE Towers Ensure Stable Operation of 90+ AM Machines
GE Aerospace has deployed a Cold Fusion LPBF process cooling solution at its West Chester Additive Technology Center, which houses 90+ additive manufacturing machines. The system's core innovation is the use of Delta Cooling Towers' HDPE (high-density polyethylene) cooling towers instead of traditional metal towers. The seamless molded HDPE casing eliminates the corrosion and maintenance issues associated with metal cooling towers, while VFD-controlled direct-drive fans automatically adjust energy consumption based on production load.
This approach draws on the latest Wohlers Report 2026 data, which shows global additive manufacturing revenue reached $24.2 billion in 2025 (up 10.9% year-over-year), signaling accelerating industry maturity. As LPBF transitions from laboratory-scale to mass production, the stability and operating costs of cooling infrastructure are becoming critical variables in determining batch production costs. The first HDPE tower was installed at the end of 2022, with a second added during a recent expansion.
This case highlights the hidden infrastructure challenges behind AM production scaling—when machine counts grow from single digits to hundreds, the reliability and cost of auxiliary systems such as power, cooling, and powder handling become bottlenecks. GE's practical experience offers valuable reference for companies in China currently building thousand-ton powder production bases and hundred-machine printing facilities.
Value for powder buyers: ① In scaled LPBF production, cooling stability directly affects powder melting quality and batch-to-batch consistency—unstable cooling leads to thermal history fluctuations that impact part mechanical properties. ② Domestic powder base construction should plan cooling infrastructure in advance to avoid the passive situation where machines arrive but cooling capacity lags behind. ③ Wohlers data indicates global AM continues to see double-digit growth, with strong fundamental demand for powders.
2026-08-03
