Characterization of Feedstock in the Powder Bed Fusion Process: Sources of Variation in Particle Size Distribution and the Factors that Influence them

Published

August 10, 2016

Author(s)

Justin G. Whiting, Jason Fox

Abstract

Substantial efforts have been placed on characterizing and modeling additive manufacturing (AM) processes. The wide scope of work already done has focused on the effects of process parameters such as laser power, hatch spacing, scan speed and strategy, and layer thickness on the final part's properties. However, the characteristics of the actual AM powder should also be considered. The particles size, morphology, roughness, and chemical composition will affect the final AM part properties including surface texture, density, tensile strength, and hardness. This paper will share some of the measurement methods used at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to better understand metal AM powder. These include the striation/separation in transportation and handling, sampling procedures, and the actual spreading of powder in the laser powder bed fusion (PBF) process. Results are presented that illustrate variations in the particle size distribution as a function of location on the build platform, substrate/part surface condition, and vertical position.

Proceedings Title

Proceedings of the Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium

Conference Dates

August 8-11, 2016

Conference Location

Austin, TX, US

Conference Title

Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

Powder bed fusion, particle size distribution, powder spreading, additive manufacturing

Citation

Whiting, J. and Fox, J. (2016), Characterization of Feedstock in the Powder Bed Fusion Process: Sources of Variation in Particle Size Distribution and the Factors that Influence them, Proceedings of the Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium, Austin, TX, US, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=921552 (Accessed April 25, 2024)