Cooksongold, the UK’s one-stop shop for jewelry makers, has established a new industrial division – Cookson Industrial – to explore the usage of precious metals in Additive Manufacturing (AM) for critical applications.
Cookson Industrial, part of HM Precious Metals, offers consultancy, R&D, NPD, and production services. Operating from its Birmingham headquarters, Cookson Industrial integrates subtractive and Additive Manufacturing processes.
The new unit serves industries with a strong demand for high-performance applications, particularly for use in extreme environments where standard alloys cannot meet the thermal and material application requirements.
The company produces & distributes gas-atomized precious metal powders such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium in smaller batches.
The Cookson Industrial head, Nikesh Patel explains: “While the use of precious metals in Additive Manufacturing has largely been confined to the jewelry, and luxury lifestyle industries, many more organizations are beginning to explore its potential for use in critical applications. For extreme environments such as aerospace, where there is no room for compromise, the performance characteristics of precious metals can offer a whole new world of design parameters compared to traditional alloys.”
Cookson Industrial has a facility with the latest AM machines, including the EOS Precious M 080, M 100 & the Renishaw AM 500S Flex. The company is also working closely with the University of Birmingham to research precious metal alloys in aerospace, healthcare & glass fiber manufacturing, among others. Both organizations were jointly awarded a £750k Early-stage Prosperity Partnership funding from the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Aerospace represents one important growth area. Here, Cookson Industrial is working on satellite thrusters that are significantly lighter and have less toxic material than chemical-based counterparts.
End-to-end control in powder production denotes the division can lighten the risks and costs involved in R&D for organizations. Cookson Industrial now capitalizes on high-end production by joining hands with Bentley Motors to make components for the Batur by Mulliner.
“There is more dynamism in the UK aerospace sector with many legacy processes set for disruption. However, given the cost of the powders themselves – a full hopper often outweighs the purchase price of the AM machine – many organizations have struggled to fully commit to R&D. As we produce and print with our powder supply, we can help derisk the process by offering the optimum parameters for powder production, storage, and use. This will help reduce powder loss and the associated impact on project costs while giving organizations access to one of the innovative production environments in the UK,” Patel added.
Author: Nagarjun M
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