EWI and Powders on Demand Announce Strategic Partnership to Commercialize Breakthrough Resistance-Based Sintering Technology
Voltic Forms will enable faster, more efficient manufacturing of high-performance components
Columbus, OH – EWI, a leading advanced manufacturing and engineering solutions company, and Powders on Demand, a pioneer in advanced powder-based materials, announced the formation of Voltic Forms, a new joint venture focused on commercializing resistance-based sintering (RBS).
While the concept of using resistance heating for sintering has been around for decades, recent developments by EWI have advanced RBS into a manufacturing technology capable of consolidating metal and composite powders up to 300 times faster while using up to 97% less energy than conventional processes. Voltic Forms will focus on advancing and deploying this technology to enable manufacturers to produce high-performance metal and composite components with unprecedented speed, efficiency, and material flexibility.
“Resistance-based sintering reflects the kind of innovative manufacturing technologies EWI is committed to advancing,” said Blake McAllister, vice president of strategic technologies at EWI. “Through Voltic Forms, we can help companies produce high-performance components faster and more efficiently, giving them the tools to stay competitive in an increasingly advanced materials-driven market.”
Resistance-based sintering offers a fundamentally new approach to manufacturing that can dramatically improve speed, efficiency, and material performance. Unlike traditional methods that rely on long furnace cycles and bulk heating, RBS can consolidate powders in milliseconds rather than hours, producing components with full density comparable to or exceeding forged structures. The process eliminates the need for vacuum chambers, inert gases, and furnaces, while enabling near-net-shape production of advanced materials such as titanium, superalloys, steels, refractory metals, metal matrix composites, and novel functional composites.
By combining EWI’s expertise in advanced manufacturing process development with Powders on Demand’s leadership in material to process commercialization, Voltic Forms is positioned to industrialize production of high-performance components that were previously unattainable at scale. This new approach opens the door for manufacturers to adopt a faster, more energy-efficient, and more flexible production process, helping them meet growing demand for advanced materials and components.
“A titanium part today can pass through three or four suppliers before it’s finished — melting, forging, machining — each with its own lead time and cost structure. Resistance-based sintering collapses all of that into a single second from powder feedstock. Voltic Forms exists to make that capability accessible at scale.” said Powders on Demand Co-founder and CEO Brad Richards. “Defense and commercial customers require shorter supply chains and faster delivery — that’s exactly what we’re bringing them.”
Media Contact
Alison Landefeld: [email protected]
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About EWI
EWI empowers industry leaders to overcome complex manufacturing challenges and integrate new processes to bring products to market more quickly and efficiently. Since 1984, EWI’s comprehensive engineering services have helped companies identify, develop, and implement the best options for their specific applications. Backed by unmatched professional expertise, state-of-the-art lab facilities, and technology resources, EWI offers customized solutions that deliver game-changing results. Learn more at ewi.org.
About Powders on Demand
Powders on Demand (POD), a spinoff company of Solvus Global, specializes in the R&D to commercialization transition of materials and process development for high-quality and application-specific feedstocks and processes, including advanced aluminum, titanium, superalloy, cermet, and refractory metal systems. The business operates out of three facilities with strong collaboration with end customers and partners in central Massachusetts. Learn more at powdersondemand.com.
About Voltic Forms
Voltic Forms is a joint venture formed by EWI and Powders on Demand to commercialize resistance-based sintering technology and accelerate the adoption of next-generation powder consolidation methods for advanced manufacturing, addressing critical capability and availability gaps in the supply chain.