RE:RE:RE:Development NewsI'm reading this a bit differently than you.
From the NR it sounds to me like PYR was informed by a potential customer who sampled their Titanium powders that there was Tungsten in the powder, Tungsten is bad, here's why, etc.
So, PYR investigated their powder production process and discovered the issue originated in their plasma torch tips, which are made of (or at least contain some amount of) Tungsten which leeches from the torch tip into the Titanium powder and causing bad stuff to happen when used to build parts. As stated in the NR, Tungsten doesn't melt during the AM printing process, but apparently the extreme temperatures PYR uses in production are high enough to cause some unacceptable amount of Tungsten from the torch tip to find its way into the Titanium during a batch run. They thus devised a new Tungsten-free plasma torch tip and can now offer "Tungsten-free Titanium."
I don't read this as PYR having invented some new patentable process for removing Tungsten after the fact. They simply figured out how to prevent it from getting in the Titanium powder in the first place.
kjs4381 wrote:
Uncleron, you are so right. I was also thinking that if Pyrogenisis also has a patent (I'd be surprised if they hadn't applied ) on this process for removing Tungsten, this will give them a huge advantage over any competitors. JMHO