Swiss Steel USA offers nickel

Object 3D-printed from Printdur HSA.

Stainless austenitic steels are used to make parts that must exhibit high resistance to corrosion. One of the most popular of these alloys is 316L stainless steel.

Though considered a "standard" for AM applications, 316L is considered to have low strength, says Swiss Steel USA, a certified distributor of stainless, tool, and engineering steels.

The company's Printdur HSA is a nickel-free, high-strength austenitic steel specifically developed for AM. The processing properties of the material resemble those of standard 316L, the distributor reports, but Printdur provides twice the yield and tensile strength, along with greater resistance to corrosion. It has a PREN (pitting resistance equivalent number) value of 36.

These attributes reportedly make the alloy suitable for a wide range of applications, including medical components.