With the deployment of a QIH 60 M URCTM Hot Isostatic Press (HIP) from Quintus Technologies, Canada's Burloak Technologies is pushing the limits of Additive Manufacturing (AM) to deliver new levels of mechanical performance and strength properties in parts for mission-critical applications.

As a full-service additive manufacturer, Burloak works with the most innovative companies in the space, aerospace, automotive, and industrial markets to rapidly transition their most challenging part designs to be additively manufactured at scale. The High Pressure Heat TreatmentTM (HPHTTM) capability of the new QIH 60 facilitates this rapid transition. Combining high pressure, heat treatment, and cooling in a single process makes it possible to remove several operations from the AM production line, generating significant savings in both cost and time.

Equipped with the world's fastest fan-driven cooling system, the QIH 60 can achieve an unprecedented peak gas cooling rate of > 1500K/min, "rates that have never been seen before," states Ed Williams, General Manager – Americas, Quintus Technologies. The press's highly customisable cooling cycle can be programmed to stop at a specific temperature while maintaining the desired pressure set point. Rapid cooling under pressure minimises thermal distortion and non-uniform grain growth in components, producing finished parts with optimal material properties. It also allows Burloak to significantly increase production.

The model QIH 60 press features a hot zone of 16.14 x 39.37 inches (410 x 1,000 mm), an area large enough to process any component printed on most powder bed machines, Mr. Adams notes. It operates at a maximum temperature of 2,552°F (1,400°C) and maximum pressure of 207 MPa (30,000 psi).

Burloak also joined the Quintus® Care Program, becoming part of a community dedicated to the application of modern HIP technology to the possibilities that Additive Manufacturing brings. The Quintus Care Program also offers a rigorous preventative maintenance agreement that ensures flawless production, operation, and press performance at a fixed annual cost. Regular recertification of Burloak personnel and inspections will ensure highest reliability and availability.

"Burloak aims to push the frontier of Hot Isostatic Pressing with the help of the new press," says Jan Soderstrom, CEO of Quintus Technologies. "We are very pleased to be chosen as their strategic partner in furthering the development of additive manufacturing, and we look forward to sharing our applications expertise through our Quintus Care program."