🧪 Related Material Grades
Metal powder grades mentioned in this article — specs, live prices & verified suppliers
Related News
New National Standard for Magnesium Powder to Take Effect on November 1, Incorporating Additive Manufacturing into Scope
GB/T 5149—2026 "Magnesium and Magnesium Alloy Powder" will officially take effect on November 1, 2026, consolidating and replacing three previous standards in one go (GB/T 5149.1-2004 Milled Magnesium Powder, GB/T 5150-2004 Aluminum-Magnesium Alloy Powder, and GB/T 31974-2015 Passivated Granular Magnesium). The new national standard explicitly includes additive manufacturing within its scope and sets unified criteria for the sphericity (typically required to be above 92%), oxygen content, and flowability of magnesium powder used in additive manufacturing, providing a "preliminary entry ticket" for magnesium powder to enter high-end additive manufacturing supply chains. The standard applies to the production and delivery of milled magnesium powder, atomized magnesium powder, and ball-milled aluminum-magnesium alloy powder used in fields such as powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing. It is administered by the National Technical Committee for Standardization of Nonferrous Metals (SAC/TC 243), and drafting organizations include Shanxi Fuhengdi, Shanxi Yinguang Huasheng Magnesium Industry, Tangshan Weihao Magnesium Powder, and Chongqing University. Source: National Public Service Platform for Standards Information
2026-11-01Nikon SLM Solutions Partners with PanOptimization to Integrate PanX Simulation into NXG XII 600 and MACHX Build Preparation Workflow
Nikon SLM Solutions and PanOptimization LLC announced a partnership on October 30 in Lübeck, Germany, to integrate the PanX simulation software into Nikon SLM's build preparation workflow. The new version of PanX includes a dedicated Nikon SLM integration interface, enabling users to directly load validated parametric templates customized for Nikon SLM systems, materials, and process parameters, providing a foundation for thermo-mechanical behavior analysis of large and complex builds. High-productivity additive manufacturing systems bring larger build volumes and part sizes, making local heat accumulation and thermal history variations harder to manage, which directly affects printability, material properties, and part quality. By combining PanX's simulation capabilities for large, complex builds with Nikon SLM's validated templates, the new workflow reduces repetitive simulation setup, allowing engineers to focus on identifying critical areas and optimizing build strategies; combined with the advanced thermal management of the NXG XII 600 and MACHX systems, manufacturers can address thermal behavior both before and during printing. Erik Denlinger, co-founder and chief engineer of PanOptimization, said that integrating PanX directly into Nikon's standard workflow reduces redundant and error-prone simulation setup, making simulation easily accessible to design and manufacturing engineers. The partnership points toward a qualified production path for first-time-right manufacturing of large, complex parts, reducing build risk and unlocking the economic potential of high-productivity systems.
2026-10-30Taller Printers, More Tomahawks: Nikon AM Wins U.S. Department of War Contract
Nikon Advanced Manufacturing (Nikon AM) announced on October 22, 2026 that it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of War (DOW) to supply customized metal additive manufacturing systems for producing the mid-body section of the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) and other similar potential applications. The contract covers multiple specially developed Nikon SLM Solutions laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) systems with build heights of up to two meters, based on the company's flagship large-format NXG-E platform. The contract was awarded under the Cornerstone Other Transaction Authority (COTA) and is part of the Department of War's Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program. The project will operate at the Nikon AM Technology Center in Long Beach, California, for prototyping and scaling critical capacity. The Long Beach site integrates Nikon AM's L-PBF equipment with in-house engineering, production, laboratory, and qualification capabilities, operating under ultra-secure, demanding manufacturing requirements to serve aerospace and defense customers. Nikon AM positions the contract as a foundational arrangement providing secure funding for the development and delivery of multiple two-meter-class systems. The company says metal additive manufacturing can help the Department of War reduce production bottlenecks, expand domestic manufacturing capacity, and build an agile, scalable, and resilient defense supply chain. The Tomahawk contract aligns with Nikon AM's strategy of expanding U.S. defense capacity with large-format L-PBF. Nikon has already deployed NXG-series large-format systems in the U.S. defense supply chain, including an NXG 600E ordered by HII's Newport News Shipbuilding division—the first deployment of this class of equipment at a U.S. shipyard.
2026-10-30📡 Get Daily Industry Updates
Follow us for metal powder pricing, news, and supplier insights — delivered daily.