Page 25 - 3D Metal Printing Summer 2016

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“Gas-atomized powders that traditionally are used for thermal-spray coatings are gaining favor for additive manufacturing. Suppliers can adjust the composition to optimize them for specific applications. For additive applications, we can atomize very fine powders for use in laser powder-bed machines, and coarser particle sizes for electron-beam powder beds.”
Andy Shives, market development manager for Praxair Surface Technologies:
“Gas-atomized powders that tradition- ally are used for thermal-spray coatings,” says Shives, “are gaining favor for additive manufacturing.” Suppliers of the powders can adjust the composition to optimize them for specific applications. For additive applications, very fine powders can be atomized for use in laser powder-bed machines, and coarser particle sizes for electron-beam powder beds.
Last August, Praxair Surface Technolo- gies announced its launch of newly expanded operations geared toward pro- duction of high-purity fine, spherical tita- nium powder for additive manufacturing. Traditionally a supplier of atomized super- alloys of nickel and cobalt, the firm’s ability to now produce large-scale volumes of titanium powder promises to help support what has become a rapidly expanding market.
Unique to Praxair is the adoption of new gas-atomization technology devel- oped recently at Ames Laboratory, a DoE facility operated by Iowa State University. That technology (a specialized nozzle) eventually was licensed to spinoff com- pany Iowa Powder Atomization Tech- nologies (IPAT). IPAT, created by Ames Laboratory researchers Joel Rieken and
A more efficient option: additive man- ufacturing, which offers buy-to-fly ratios closer to 1:1. And, when it comes to light- weighting applications where titanium parts are required to interface with car- bon-fiber material, titanium’s special cor- rosion properties make it the material of choice. Titanium is very compatible with carbon fiber, while aluminum alloys and some steels are not. According to the Cor- rosionpedia website, “aluminum alloys are extremely vulnerable when they are coupled to a carbon composite,” as are carbon steels. Meanwhile, titanium’s dense, stable and protective oxide layer prevents a galvanic reaction when cou- pling titanium to carbon composites.
Praxair’s advanced vacuum induction- melt argon-gas atomization processing produces fine, spherical titanium powder for additive manufacturing. Traditionally a supplier of atomized superalloys of nickel and cobalt, the firm’s ability to now produce large-scale volumes of titanium powder promises to help support what has become a rapidly expanding market for 3D metal printing with titanium.
Capacity Online to Meet this High-Growth Market
All of this adds up to a tremendous amount of interest in titanium-powder technology for additive-manufacturing applications. So says Andy Shives, market development manager for Praxair Surface Technologies, a manufacturer of gas- atomized metal powders that recently launched an additive-manufacturing divi- sion in Indianapolis, IN, to satisfy what it sees as a high-growth market.
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