Page 12 - 3D Metal Printing Fall 2019

Heat Treatment
Delivers More- Consistent Powder
Enabling powder to flow continuously and smoothly, via proper processing that includes drying and tumble blending, is a must for reliable 3D printing production.
The growing global metal additive manufacturing (AM) market is expected to reach $3.05 billion by 2025, according to a recent report by Grand View Research, Inc. To take full advantage of this growth and efficiently produce high-quality parts, powder pro- ducers, 3D printer manufacturers and others must ensure the consistent, repeat- able quality of the metal powders used in the process.
AM applications range from aerospace, defense, and automotive to medical and jewelry. The metals involved include alu- minum, titanium, stainless steel, cobalt- chrome, copper or nickel alloys, and pre- cious metals such as gold, silver, platinum or palladium.
In the 3D printing process, parts are created from digital specifications by lay- ing down successive layers of metal pow-
der and using a laser to fuse the particles until the part is complete. Like ink-based printers, 3D printing has its own consum- ables—in this case, metal powder in extremely fine, sub-micron sizes.
Complementing the wide range of metal powder suppliers, contract powder processors provide sophisticated heat treatments to improve powder quality. As 3D printing techniques and equipment continue to advance, optimizing the pow- ders with such heat treatments can improve powder flowability to prevent clogging, thus speeding the process and producing a higher-quality part.
Uniform Powder Flow a Must
Most metal powders used in 3D print- ing, such as iron, nickel, cobalt, aluminum and titanium alloys, are produced by gas atomization. In this process, feedstock
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