Flow properties of tool steel powders for selective laser melting – the influence of thermal and mechanical powder treatments

Server InfoDuring additive manufacturing with processes based on powder bed fusion, the quality of the finished products and the efficiency of the process are affected by the flow of the powder. In this study, an attempt was made to pinpoint indicators which can describe the powder’s flow during bearing dispersion – a common phase for all powder bed fusion processes. For this purpose, shear tests were conducted using a powder rheometer. Bulk density, flow function and the degree of cohesion were all measured. The results indicate a strong correlation between the aforementioned parameters and the flow of the power when used during the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process. It also emerged that flow was improved by heat treatment and tumbling. Heat treatment was carried out in the air at temperatures of 150, 200 and 250°C during a period of 10 minutes.

You can read the full article here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0032.