Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference 2018

Development of new materials for additive manufacturing is fundamentally linked to understanding of the atomic scale effects, which drives the micro- and nano-structure particularities. In order to avoid or exploit these effects advanced ex- and in-situ characterization methods are needed. This paper presents high-resolution scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) investigations of micro- sand nano-structure of different Al based alloys in powder form. Conventional and advanced TEM methods such as energy filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) and scanning TEM (STEM) provides insight into the material’s crystallography and chemistry quantitatively and at atomic resolution. STEM 2D or 3D acquisition of high angular annular dark field images (HAADF) at atomic resolution and both X-ray (EDX) and electron energy loss spectrometry (EELS) spectrum images are indispensable tools for the localization and identification of different elements and their stable and metastable phases. Therefore, the influence of different elements added in higher or very low concentration have been studied. Information regarding the recrystallization of grains, diffusion of alloying elements and nucleation of new phases at different temperatures can be gained by in-situ S/TEM observations of powder particles.