2025/01/07
Qualification of Zr705C Valves by Laser Powder Bed Fusion
Centre de métallurgie du Québec (CMQ), 2023-2024.
Objectives, background and challenge
The project, led by the Centre de métallurgie du Québec (CMQ) in collaboration with Fluoroseal Valves, aimed to develop zirconium 705C valves using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing. The main objective was to leverage this technology to reduce production costs by manufacturing only the required volumes of this expensive material, while optimizing the mechanical properties of the produced parts. A significant part of the work involved developing printing parameters tailored to this alloy, which had not existed until then, and evaluating different heat treatment approaches to maximize both quality and productivity.
The project faced several technical and economic challenges, particularly due to the high cost of zirconium alloys and the stringent quality requirements. Fluoroseal Valves sought to surpass traditional methods while maintaining precise control over the mechanical and chemical properties of the valves. Furthermore, the absence of existing printing parameters for zirconium 705C in additive manufacturing posed a major obstacle, requiring specialized expertise from the CMQ teams.