Metal powder for 3D Printing (Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com)
Bringing 3D printing into an industrial setting is difficult. While less of an issue when working with plastics, using metal powders formed into a manufactured part will need to exhibit properties similar to that of machined, cast or forged metal.
A USD$5 million grant by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office looks to improve the materials used in industrial additive manufacturing (AM) by looking at new techniques for creating metal alloy powders that can be customized to match specific requirements.
The project, led by the Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory and supported by facilities at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, looks to use a high pressure gas atomization process to control the properties and quality of the powders used in AM.
Researchers at Ames Lab will model and simulate the gas atomization process using a flow simulation code developed by National Energy Technology Laboratory, before verifying the findings at Ames’ own powder synthesis facilities. Oak Ridge National Lab will conduct corresponding AM experiments using the newly developed customized materials.
“There’s a lot of intense interest focused on additive manufacturing with metal alloys, because there are so many potential applications,” said Iver Anderson, project leader and senior metallurgist at Ames Laboratory.
“Industry has demands for prototyping parts, design development, reducing waste of expensive materials and efficiently producing custom and legacy components for their customers.”
AM has the potential to create specialized parts, with specific compositions to match a consumer’s requirements, from heat resistance to hardness. It is able to do so while cutting down on waste created during production and allowing for easier prototyping and development without the need for customized forms or molds for castings.
While AM technology has been around for some time now, the materials available are limited when working with metals.
“Today, if a manufacturer went to metal powder producers with a shopping list of the alloys and powder specifications they needed for their manufacturing process, they very likely wouldn’t find what they want,” said Anderson.
“The customization capabilities are just not there and we need to get there. That is going to be the key to commercially competitive additive manufacturing processes.”
Improved materials could lead to wider adoption of AM in industrial settings, further changing the manufacturing landscape. With support and development led by U.S. government offices, these changes are likely to come sooner than later.