Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference 2019

The flowability of a powder is an important characteristic dependent on both the particle ensemble’s physical properties as well as the testing equipment and conditions. In additive manufacturing processes, flowability can be an indicator of the quality of the deposited powder layer. However, flowability significance is not always clear. In this study, we carried out a comparison between different steel powders, as well as different testing methods. Each sample had a unique combination of composition and particle size range. Furthermore, the flowability testing equipment and methods were selected according to standards (angle of repose, Hausner Ratio, Hall flow) or to the published literature (FT4 Powder Rheometer). Firstly, we measured the flowability of different samples for each testing method, in order to investigate the influence of the powder physical characteristics. Secondly, we evaluated the correlation between different flowability testing methods.