Post-Processing for Performance: Conflux’s Approach to Quality in AM

Post-processing plays a crucial role in the additive manufacturing (AM) workflow, ensuring that printed parts meet the highest quality, cleanliness, and functional standards. At Conflux, our AS9100 and ISO9001-certified processes, along with our advanced post-processing capabilities, are designed to optimize the performance of our high-efficiency heat exchangers, making them suitable for demanding applications in industries such as aerospace, automotive, and defense.

Ensuring High-Performance and Reliability in Manufacturing

In high-performance industries, weight reduction, thermal efficiency, and durability are essential. Our advanced post-processing techniques ensure that AM components meet stringent industry standards and functional requirements.

Thermal Management Optimization: Additive-manufactured heat exchangers require precise cleaning to maintain unobstructed flow channels. Our advanced dry depowdering and liquid flushing techniques guarantee that even intricate geometries remain free from residual powder, ensuring optimal cooling performance.

Mechanical Durability Enhancement: We employ specialized heat treatments and surface finishing techniques to improve the strength and fatigue resistance of AM components. This ensures that our parts withstand the demanding conditions of motorsport and high-performance automotive applications.

Structural Integrity Assurance: Our proprietary heat treatment processes refine material properties, ensuring that lightweight yet robust AM components maintain their integrity under extreme operating conditions.

Post-machined engine component. (Source Pexels)

Our Post-Processing Workflow

Once a part is printed, our systematic depowdering process ensures complete removal of trapped powder within intricate cooling channels and fin arrays:

Initial Depowdering in the Printer: A dry depowdering process is conducted within the machine using powder conveyors that remove bulk powder for recycling.

Mars Powder Recovery Cabinet: The part is transferred to the Mars Powder Recovery Cabinet, where it undergoes low to mid-range vibration at various orientations to dislodge and remove residual powder from the HX. Conflux enhanced the Mars machine beyond its standard capabilities, increasing its efficiency and effectiveness in handling even the most complex geometries.

High Range Vibration Box: A purpose-built vibration box is the last stage of the dry depowdering where high range vibration (force and frequency) and a vacuum is applied to the build plate, further dislodging and removing remaining particles from the part.

Our adoption of AI-driven, automated depowdering solutions further optimizes powder removal in real time, reducing both processing time and material waste.

Mars Powder Recovery Cabinet. (Source Conflux)

Powder Recycling and Management

Powder is a valuable resource in AM, and efforts are made by our team to recycle it where possible. Regular testing monitors the composition and morphology of reused powder. When degradation occurs—such as a loss of spherical particle shape—it is discarded.

Fine powders are separated from reusable material, ensuring that only high-quality powder is returned to the process. Automated powder handling systems are now being integrated to reduce human intervention, ensuring more consistent powder quality and minimizing contamination risks.

Integrated powder conveyors efficiently remove bulk powder within the machine for recycling. (Source Conflux)

Heat Treatment and Cleaning

After depowdering, the parts are heat-treated in a furnace to enhance material properties before removing support structures. They then undergo pressure testing prior to machining, followed by thorough cleaning processes to ensure compliance with customer specifications and industry standards:

Post-Machining Pressure Test: Ensures that the part meets operational requirements by detecting defects caused during the machining process.

Fluid Flushing: Our purpose built automated flush system is used to force liquid through the heat exchanger at a specified flow rate and pressure to dislodge contaminant from the machining process.

Final Cleaning: A further liquid solution is applied and drained from the heat exchanger to remove the flush fluid before the final drying process.

New advancements in ultrasonic and other cleaning technologies are being explored to enhance particle removal and surface quality, reducing the need for multiple cleaning cycles.

Parts are carefully removed from the machine, initiating the next stage in the post-processing workflow. (Source Conflux)

Meeting Stringent Industry Standards

Quality control is essential in industries like automotive and aviation, where even minor contamination can lead to performance failures. We adhere to technical cleanliness standard requirements covering highly critical components across several industries and applications prioritizing functional validation through flow testing and pressure drop assessments. Some customers conduct additional post-processing steps to confirm compliance with their internal standards.

To further enhance reliability and repeatability, we are integrating real-time monitoring and AI-powered inspection tools to detect defects early in the process.

Verifying accuracy and completeness to ensure precision and quality in every detail. (Source Conflux)

Efficiency Improvements and Automation

Reducing post-processing time while maintaining the highest standards is a key focus of our R&D initiatives. Our efforts include:

Automating Manual Processes: Custom-built automated systems and processes are being developed to handle parts more efficiently.

Integrated De-powdering and Cleaning Stations: Optimized powder removal and cleaning systems help reduce the number of processes required, improving turnaround time.

Refinements in Part Design: Designing components for easier post-processing—such as improved access to internal structures—enhances efficiency.

We are also leveraging digital twin technology to simulate and refine post-processing workflows, reducing the need for time-consuming trial-and-error iterations.

Challenges and Future Innovations

The diversity of AM materials requires specialized post-processing approaches. While aluminium components follow a standardized workflow, other materials like stainless steel and Monel demand alternative treatments to prevent contamination. As AM continues to evolve, we are actively developing new methodologies to accommodate larger components and mixed-material builds without compromising quality.

Emerging trends include hybrid post-processing solutions that combine chemical, mechanical, and thermal treatments to achieve superior part performance. AI-driven process controls are also expected to revolutionize post-processing by enabling predictive maintenance and adaptive optimization.

Post-processing remains a critical aspect of additive manufacturing, requiring a balance between precision, efficiency, and customization. Through continuous improvements and automation, we can optimize workflows, reduce production costs, and meet the increasing demands of high-performance industries.