Water atomization is one of the methods for preparing 3D printing metal powder

3D printing powder overview

3D printing technology is a new type of printing technology. Its outstanding advantage is that it can directly generate parts of any shape from computer graphics data without machining or any molds, which greatly shortens the product development cycle, improves productivity, and reduces production costs. As the most important raw material for 3D printing of metal parts, 3D printing metal powder has attracted people's attention. As the most important part of the metal parts 3D printing industry chain, 3D printing metal powder is also the most valuable.

The preparation process of metal powder

At present, the preparation methods of metal powder can be divided into reduction method, electrolysis method, carbonyl decomposition method, grinding method, atomization method, etc. according to the preparation process. Among them, the powder produced by reduction, electrolysis, and atomization is more commonly used as a raw material in the powder metallurgy industry. The atomization method can be used to produce alloy powder, and modern atomization technology can also control the shape of the powder. The continuous development of the atomization cavity structure has greatly improved the atomization efficiency, and the atomization method has gradually developed into the main powder production method. The atomization method meets the special requirements of 3D printing consumable metal powder.

Water atomization

In the production of atomized powder, the water atomization method is one of the cheap production methods. Because the atomization medium water is not only cheap and easy to obtain but also the atomization efficiency is excellent. At present, the domestic water atomization method is mainly used to produce steel powder, diamond tool matrix powder, oil-impregnated bearing pre-alloy powder, hard surface technical powder, iron-based and nickel-based magnetic powder. However, since the specific heat of water is much larger than that of gas, during the atomization process, the broken metal droplets solidify too fast and become irregular, which affects the sphericity of the powder. When in contact with water, other metals or alloys with high activity will also react. At the same time, contact with water during the atomization process will increase the oxygen content in the powder. These problems limit the application of water atomization in the preparation of metal powders with high sphericity and low oxygen content.

Application of 3D printing powder

3D printing is usually achieved through material printers that use digital technology. It is usually used in mold manufacturing, model making in the field of industrial design, and then gradually used in the direct manufacturing of certain products. There are already parts printed using this technology. This technology has been used in jewelry and footwear, industrial design, construction, engineering and construction (AEC), automotive, aerospace, dental and medical industries, education, geographic information systems, civil engineering, firearms, and other fields.

Different 3D printing equipment and molding processes require different particle size distributions. At present, the commonly used powder size range for metal 3D printing is 15-53μm (fine powder), 53-105μm (large size), and in some cases can be widened to 105-150μm (larger particles).

The choice of metal powder particle size for 3D printing is mainly based on metal printers with different energy sources.

For printers that use the laser as an energy source, it is suitable to use 15-53μm powder as a consumable material due to its good focus point and easy-to-melt fine powder. The power supply method uses an electron beam as energy, so it is more suitable for the melting of coarse powder and suitable for use. -105μm coarse powder.

For coaxial powder feed printers, powders with a particle size of 105 to 150 μm can be used.

Application of 3D printing in pharmaceutical production

The impact of 3D printing technology on medicines is mainly reflected in four aspects: One is to achieve personalized customization of the effective ingredients of medicines. The second is to customize the dose to provide patients with a personalized treatment plan. This layer-by-layer printing method allows the different coatings to be tightly combined so that the maximum dose of a certain substance can be placed in the tablet so that the patient can swallow a few or smaller tablets. The third is that the shape can be customized. For children who do not like to take medicine, 3D printing technology is used to print out various interesting shapes to coax the child to take medicine. The fourth is to use 3D printing technology to make the drug have a special microstructure and improve the release performance of the drug.

3D printing powder price

The price of 3D printing powder varies randomly with production costs, transportation costs, international conditions, exchange rates, and market supply and demand. Tanki New Materials Co., Ltd. aims to help all industries and chemical wholesalers find high-quality, low-cost nanomaterials and chemicals by providing a full set of customized services. If you are looking for 3D printing powder materials, please feel free to send the latest price inquiries of 3D printing.

3D printing powder supplier

As a global supplier of 3D printing powder, Tanki New Materials Co., Ltd. has extensive experience in the performance, application, and cost-effective manufacturing of advanced engineering materials. The company has successfully developed a series of powder materials (including oxides,carbides,nitrides,single metals,etc.), high-purity targets,functional ceramics,and structural devices,and provides OEM services.