RE:From what I've seen.I agree. There will still be a nice market for PYR's high quality spherical powders. Spherical "flowing" metal powders aren't relegated exclusively to expensive laser additive manufacturing processes and could be used everywhere low quality MIM powders can be used.The inconsistent sizing of MIM powders is very likely the reason there are still structural voids to be found in DM produced parts. Higher quality, consistently-sized spherical powder would likely result in fewer voids, resulting in higher quality, higher strength parts. Or, alternatively, they could enable lighter parts of similar strength and we all know reducing weight is another big goal of modern manufacturing.
As for the fear-mongers' questioning whether PYR's process is "economical" PYR's plasma-based powder production is a single-step process whereas the production process of MIM powders, gas atomization, is a 2-step process, and a much less efficient one than PYR's workflow. Gas atomization first has to heat and melt the base metal to a liquid state after which it shoots a bunch of jets of various gases at the falling stream of molten metal creating the odd-shaped globs of powder that cool as they fall into a collector. Not only do they have to heat the metal to its melting point and maintain that liquid state, they also have to buy and use a different gas or three depending on the metal they're making powder from. And after all that, the powder is globby and non-flowing.
The PYR process simply shoots plasma at wire feedstock, the heat of the plasma stream and the speed of the wire feed determining the powder particle size... with a different temp and feedstock speed for each powder type. The plasma process skips right over "melting" the metal and jumps straight to atomization without the need to blow one or two kinds of gas at it... a much more efficient process. So, if perfectly spherical powder isn't required for this new kind of printer, PYR can simply lower the plasma torch temperature or speed up the wire feed, increasing production rate and efficiency.
A decent comparison here might be the graphite market. There are low quality flake graphite suppliers for things like pencils and lubricants, then there are suppliers of high quality micronized spherical graphite for use in high-dollar applications like battery anodes for the Tesla giga-factory.
The Additive Manufacturing industry will find a place for PYR's high quality powders. It's a large and growing market. Just because lower quality materials are available and can be used in the DM printer doesn't mean there isn't a market for high quality spherical powders than can be produced for the same (or even lower) cost.
Don't get scared off your shares by a gang of paid fear-mongers trying to use any piece of information they can to sow seeds of doubt.
bushman46 wrote: The need for powder printers has not been eliminated.
Looking closely at the quality of the parts produced (pics online at Desktop Metals site)
I see a photographic comparison with a cast part, with a finish of equal quality (rough).
Of course there's a market for these type of products and sure looks probable that this process services the requirements.
Does that mean we may now throw out all existing lazer printers that user powders because there's a new process?
I don't believe so, and if not, then we still have buyers for powders. The best in the industry.
If I'm wrong and this is the death nail for this segment of out business model, then I for one am grateful to our CEO for not overextending financially, with loans or dilution, to build 10 plants that can't return a nickle.
We still have irons in the fire and we're not going bankrupt going 'all in' on a single business componet.
I embrase the 'organinc growth' stategy, that lets market demand dictate production capacity. It's not perfect, but for shareholders, the risk is lower and the rewards are greater. It shouldn't be much longer till we have a machine producing and selling powders. If the demand is there, we'll add a couple more (as mentioned in last powder update).
Story hasn't changed.
Good luck to all.