With the advent of metal powder-based additive manufacturing (AM) and its acceptance for critical applications, it has become important to understand the behavior of raw materials using different AM techniques. Each AM process has its own requirements for material properties in terms of chemistry, size distribution, porosity, flow-ability, morphology and apparent density, all of which can affect the properties of the final part. Recycling expensive specialty powders can make the AM process more affordable. The limits of reusing powders, however, must be understood so that quality specifications can be maintained.
A new paper by Rutuja Samant and Brendan Lewis, Metal Powder Recycling and Reconditioning in Additive Manufacturing, examines both the challenge and potential of metal powder reuse, and the need to develop qualified methods to recondition powders and re-qualify them for production.
To download the paper, click here.
To contact the authors, email [email protected].
To learn more about EWI’s work in AM, visit ewi.org/technologies/additive-manufacturing.