Development of Inconel and Steel Powers for AM

Development of Inconel and Steel powders for the metal additive manufacturing processing markets

Characterisation of procured virgin powders (Inconel 625, Inconel 718, Stainless 316L) and variation of 625 currently produced by Castolin in terms of unique properties such as particle size, morphology, chemical composition, flow, density, emissivity and thermal conductivity.

Sub-divide and similarly characterise two batches of powder with within size range for SLM but with two different size distributions. These latter two project objectives will provide novel detailed information on the correlation between the of powder physical attributes and chemical composition on powder fluidity and heat transfer capability, giving a method of pre-determining why and which powder attributes may best for the SLM process.

Test the level of compatibility of the developed powder batches within the SLM process (EOS M280), by investigating dimensional accuracy, density, surface roughness, microstructure and mechanical properties of the produced test samples

Compile and analyse results to determine optimised powder options for the SLM process

Check the suitability of a sub-selection of optimised powders with other SLM manufacturer equipment, such as Concept Laser, by building and characterising parts from these optimised powders