Powerful powders: understanding flowability

por John Duffy, Wednesday, 27th September 2023

If you’ve ever used an hourglass timer, you’ve seen powder flow in action. It seems straightforward – the sand just flows through the small opening in the hourglass – but it’s actually a complex phenomenon with many factors influencing it. Unless you’re extremely picky about your boiled eggs, the stakes aren’t that high in an hourglass timer. But in additive manufacturing (AM), where powder properties can make or break (literally!) your product, it’s a different story. A proper understanding of powder flowability is key to success in the laser powder bed fusion process (L-PBF) – but the good news is that we have some very helpful insights to share on this topic in our upcoming webinar on October 26!

Particular parameters

The flowability of powder materials is influenced by multiple factors, ranging from particle size and shape to density and moisture. Each of these parameters plays a crucial role in how efficiently the powder spreads during the L-PBF process. Failure to manage these intricacies can lead to poor-quality products, reduced efficiency in your processes, and even increased production costs.

But help is at hand! We’re excited to announce that Ehsan Rahimi, from the Materials Processing Institute, will be shedding light on a novel weighted index that promises to revolutionize how powder flowability is understood within AM. This index uses parameters such as the percentage of undersized particles, satellited particles, and highly spherical particles to accurately predict flowability and overall manufacturing performance. It’s a game-changer for any powder-bed additive manufacturing processes.

Mighty measurement with Morphologi 4

To gather the critical data needed to implement the weighted index, technology comes into play. Jenny Burt, an imaging expert from Malvern Panalytical, will join Ehsan to introduce the Morphologi 4 particle imaging system, which helps in characterizing those crucial particle-specific parameters. The Morphologi 4 supports the weighted index in practise, providing a holistic view of the many factors that influence powder flowability.

And it doesn’t stop at metal powders. This approach can be equally applied to other types of materials like cement, ceramic, and even polymer powder, broadening the scope of its application across multiple industries.

Learn more with Ehsan and Jenny on October 26

So, don’t miss out on the opportunity to deepen your understanding of powder flowability in additive manufacturing! Our webinar on October 26 is open to anyone involved in additive manufacturing, from suppliers to producers and testers of powder materials. As the industry works to overcome the quality control challenges of its past, innovations like these are shaping its future. Understanding them could give you the competitive edge you’ve been looking for!

Register now and join us on October 26 at 16:30 CET.

To explore our full webinar schedule, click here.
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Further reading