Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference - MAMC 2023

The SMS group supplies and develops plant technology for producing high-quality metal powder suitable for Additive Manufacturing (AM) and other applications. The cost-effective and high-quality powders are essential for driving the growth of metal AM as a sustainable industrial technology. The SMS group has achieved this by integrating a gas atomization plant (VIGA - Vacuum Induction Gas Atomization) into their 3D-Test Center, resulting in improved powder production methods that meet the requirements for AM.
Additionally, the SMS group has collaborated with a customer to develop an innovative powder production process that transforms the conventional batch-wise process into a continuous one, enabling cost-effective and large-scale production of up to 4,000 tons per year. This new process significantly increases production capacity, reduces setup times, melting, and cooling times, and lowers production costs for spherical, high-quality metal powders. The process involves two Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM) furnaces that hold the liquid melt, which is atomized successively through the nozzle, which can be exchanged during operation. Melting takes place at lowest oxygen content by using vacuum technology to ensure the highest quality levels comparable to those of the conventional process.