Introduction of 3D Printing Metal Powder
Due to different application and subsequent molding process requirements, metal powders have different preparation methods. According to the preparation process, there are mainly two kinds of physical and chemical methods and mechanical methods. In the powder metallurgy industry, electrolysis, reduction and atomization methods are widely used, but it should be noted that both electrolysis and reduction have certain limitations and are not suitable for the preparation of alloy powders. At present, metal powders for additive manufacturing are mainly concentrated in materials such as titanium alloys, superalloys, cobalt-chromium alloys, high-strength steels and die steels.
In order to meet the requirements of additive manufacturing equipment and process, metal powder must have the characteristics of low oxygen and nitrogen content, good sphericity, narrow particle size distribution interval and high bulk density. As a result, plasma, as a different process technology, has become a high-tech industry in the processing and synthesis of powder materials. It has become a research hotspot in many countries.
A metal powder material research and development base has been established to develop aerospace-grade spherical metal-based 3D printing powders. The prepared metal powder is nearly regular spherical, and the overall particle size of the powder is fine. The yield of powder below 45μm is extremely high, and there is almost no hollow sphere gas entrainment. It can fully meet the current needs of 3D printing metal powder.
