In the field of aluminum alloys for additive manufacturing, it is often difficult to simultaneously achieve high formability, high strength, and sufficient plasticity. To address this challenge, the founding team of AccMaterial-a leading domestic advanced materials enterprise-collaborated with Professor Zhe Chen’s team at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Their research, titled “Strong 3D-printed aluminium reinforced with ductile-transformable eutectic nano-skeleton,” was published in Nature Communications. The first authors are boshite Researcher Yang Li and Ph.D. student Tingting Chen, with corresponding authorship by Professors Zhe Chen and Shengyi Zhong.The study proposed a design strategy centered on a “Ductile-Transformable Eutectic Nano-Skeleton (DT-ENS)” enabled by non-equilibrium solidification. This led to the successful development of the RAE series of Al-Er-based high-strength aluminum alloys. During the engineering validation phase, BLT-S210 and BLT-S450 played a critical supporting role.
The RAE600 and RAE700 alloy grades released by AccMaterial exhibit porosity stably controlled within 0.05% under Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) conditions, demonstrating a wide processing window. They possess high strength-plasticity characteristics, achieving a yield strength of 648-707 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength of 656-714 MPa, and an elongation retention of 7.0%-10.3%. This performance combination is attributed to the constructed Al3(Er,Mg) eutectic nano-skeleton, which participates in plastic deformation via nanotwinning and 9R-type long-period stacking structures during deformation, realizing a synergistic improvement in strength and plasticity.
Tensile properties of RAE series Al-Er-based alloys compared with other additively manufactured aluminum alloys, alongside representative complex structures fabricated using RAE600. Image source: Li et al., Nature Communications (2026).
During the engineering verification phase, the research team utilized BLT-S210 and BLT-S450 as core printing machine. The BLT-S210 offers stable process repeatability and precise parameter control, enabling accurate microstructural regulation. This helped the team rapidly lock in optimal composition ratios and printing parameters, providing reliable physical samples for mechanism research. The BLT-S450, with its large-format molding capability and multi-laser high-efficiency scanning advantages, ensures density and performance consistency for large-sized components during mass production, facilitating the transition of the material into practical engineering applications. Currently, RAE series materials have been successfully validated in printing complex components such as robotic leg structures, satellite brackets, and lightweight topology-optimized brackets.
AccMaterial has established a complete engineering material system around the RAE series alloys, covering powder preparation, printing processes, heat treatment, and component validation, while also securing patent layouts in Europe, the United States, Japan, Russia, and other regions. Looking ahead, BLT will continue to focus on upgrading additive manufacturing equipment technology, collaborating with research institutions and end-users to accelerate the transition of new materials from laboratory R&D to large-scale application in high-end manufacturing.
