Case Study: Ulterra achieves extended rotor and stator life and major cost savings with ExOne 3D metal printing

Extend Part Life & Reduce Costs with Additive Manufacturing

Ulterra, a manufacturer of down-hole drilling components, needed to extend the life of rotors and stators suffering premature wear. They turned to ExOne and its 3D metal printing technology to produce the parts in an S4 stainless/bronze matrix to address abrasion and durability issues.

ExOne printed stators (batch size 10, 3–5 inch) that showed no measurable wear after 600 hours versus 200–300 hours for conventionally machined 4145 steel, while cutting unit cost from about $400–$500 to $75–$150. By using ExOne’s additive manufacturing, Ulterra achieved dramatically improved part life, lower costs, and faster production for short runs.

Ulterra