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
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
Xichang Jinchen's 1,120-Ton Titanium, Tantalum, and Niobium Powder Project Passes Environmental Review; HDH + Spheroidization Process Targets Semiconductor and Aerospace Applications
On August 2, 2026, the Xichang Ecological Environment Bureau issued a public notice of its preliminary approval for the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of Xichang Jinchen Technology Co., Ltd.'s "High-End Metal Powder Industrialization and Deep Processing Project." Located in the Jingjiu Area of the Xichang Vanadium-Titanium Industrial Park, the project involves a total investment of RMB 250 million (including RMB 3.75 million for environmental protection) and will establish a production line with an annual output of 1,120 tons of metal powders (titanium, tantalum, niobium, and their respective alloys) using a combination of hydrogenation-dehydrogenation (HDH) and spheroidization processes.
The project is positioned at the high end of the market, with applications spanning semiconductors, aerospace, 3D printing, and superconductors. Key equipment includes hydrogenation furnaces, dehydrogenation furnaces, jet mills, crushers, and ultrasonic vibrating screens. The public comment period for the EIA runs from August 2 to August 13 (five business days), after which the approval is expected to be finalized. The project had previously been accepted for review on July 20 and completed a 10-business-day public disclosure.
This marks the latest specialized production line focused on refractory metal (tantalum and niobium) powders, following Zhongti New Materials' 8,000-ton base in Anhui and Beifeng Intelligent's bases in Ordos and Linfen. It fills the gap in high-end titanium, tantalum, and niobium powder production capacity in Southwest China. Tantalum and niobium powders are indispensable in semiconductor sputtering targets, superconducting materials, and medical implants, with low domestic localization rates and significant import substitution potential.
Value for powder buyers: ① The 1,120-ton tantalum/niobium powder capacity will help ease the tight supply of high-purity tantalum powder for domestic semiconductor targets; ② Leveraging the titanium ore resources of the Xichang Vanadium-Titanium Industrial Park, titanium powder costs could be lower than those of eastern competitors; ③ The project adopts a combined HDH + spheroidization process, and the sphericity and oxygen content of the final products merit close attention—buyers are advised to arrange for sample testing once production commences.
2026-08-02
