Manipulation and Characterization of a Novel Titanium Powder Precursor for Additive Manufacturing Applications

Lowering the cost of feedstock powder has been a major issue for wider applications of additive manufacturing (AM) of titanium (Ti) and its alloys. A novel and inexpensive Ti sponge material was selected as a precursor and processed using a CSIRO proprietary powder manipulation technology (PMT). The manipulated powder was characterized in terms of the particle size distribution (PSD), roundness, flowability in the Hall Funnel flowmeter, static angle of repose (AOR), apparent density and tap density. In addition, a universal powder bed (UPB) system was used to characterize the manipulated powder behavior after raking. Two benchmark powders, virgin Arcam Ti-6Al-4V powder and used Arcam Ti-6Al-4V powder, were assessed for a comparison. PMT processing of the Ti powder precursor produced near spherically shaped Ti powder in the size range of 75-106 A mu m, which performed very similarly to the used Arcam powder in the UPB system. The CSIRO PMT offers a cost-effective manipulation process to produce Ti powder promising for AM applications, while the UPB system allows a quick assessment of the powder spreading behavior in AM processes.