Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference 2018

Production of metal powder is done since decades. Beside of some methods using crushers for powder production, the atomization of a molten liquid melt is the most common way to produce metal powders. Therefore different melting technologies (open furnace, vacuum furnace, induction melting or plasma melting, etc.) as well as atomization techniques (water, gas) can be used. Depending on the used melting and atomization technology the produced powder can differ in specific size and shape. The presentation will provide an overview of the most used technologies in melting and atomization with special focus on the production of powder for the use in additive manufacturing. A more detailed insight in the gas atomization process using closed couple atomization system will be also part of the presentation.