The Influence of Metal 3D Printing Process Chain on the Properties of TC4 Powder

According to statistics from China Chemical and Physical Power Supply Industry Association， China's export volume and export value of lithium-ion batteries have continued to increase. In 2021, China's exports of lithium-ion batteries were 3.428 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 54.34%. The export of lithium-ion batteries was 28.428 billion DOLLARS, up 78.34% year on year. 

From the battery export destination, so far. China's lithium-ion batteries are mainly exported to the Asia Pacific and the United States and other places. In terms of price, the price of products exported to the United States is significantly higher than that in the Asia-Pacific region, mainly because the demand for lithium-ion batteries in the United States is higher than that in the Asia-Pacific region. In terms of export volume, the number of China's lithium-ion battery exports to Asian countries and regions far exceeds that of other countries. In 2021, The number of China's lithium-ion battery exports to Hong Kong, China is 675 million. 648 million were exported to Vietnam; 440 million were exported to India; 337 million were exported to the U.S. 222 million were exported to South Korea. The market for other Ti6Al4V powder, led by lithium-ion batteries, is expected to expand globally. 

In the powder bed laser melting technology, from the production, transportation, storage, printing and recycling of materials, the powder has been under a variety of mechanical and atmospheric environments throughout the process chain, the chemical composition and shape of the powder particles, and the entire process. The characteristics of powder materials may be affected by factors such as the atmosphere, temperature, humidity, and external forces. This article discusses the potentially important influencing factors of TC4 powder in the entire process. The research results can be used in other powder processing and management to ensure the quality of the material throughout the service life and make the SLM process more robust and reliable.

In order to evaluate the characteristics and batch stability of the powder, the same specifications and two batches produced by TC4-Ti6Al4V(level 5) three different processes (gas atomization EIGA, plasma atomization PA, inductively coupled plasma atomization ICPA) were studied. For powders, the particle size distribution, particle morphology and fluidity of these powders were measured.

The results show that the sizes of the three powder particles are between 15-65 microns, with a Gaussian distribution, but the PA and ICPA powders show a wider particle size distribution compared with the EIGA powder. The flow time measured by the Hall flowmeter is in the range of 14.6s-16.1s, indicating that all powders and batches have good flowability. Electron microscopy results show that the three powders have high spherical shapes, but the EIGA powder particles are slightly elongated, while the ICPA powder contains a lot of satellite powder.

In order to study whether argon protection is required during powder storage, two powder containers were stored under the same conditions of 30°C and 30% relative humidity. One container has been stored intact, and the protective atmosphere of the other container is destroyed by one opening process. After a storage period of ten days, samples for mechanical testing and elemental measurement were prepared.

The results of the tensile test show that the ultimate tensile strength of the sample is basically the same in a protective atmosphere and an unprotected atmosphere; the powder stored in a humid environment has the highest ultimate strength, which is slightly higher than that of the dry powder printed sample 5%, and the elongation rate dropped severely. Gas content measurement confirmed that in a humid environment, the oxygen content of the sample is about 10% higher than that in a dry environment, which leads to material embrittlement.

About KMPASS:

KMPASS is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12 years experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials. The company export to many countries, such as USA, Canada, Europe, UAE, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya,Egypt,Nigeria,Cameroon,Uganda,Turkey,Mexico,Azerbaijan,Belgium,Cyprus,Czech Republic,Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dubai, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia,Germany, France, Italy, Portugal etc. As a leading nanotechnology development manufacturer, KMPASS dominates the market. Our professional work team provides perfect solutions to help improve the efficiency of various industries, create value, and easily cope with various challenges. If you are looking for Ti6Al4V Powder, please send an email to: sales2@nanotrun.com

The resurgence of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict continued to cause high volatility in commodity prices. Stubbornly high inflation and rising commodity prices are likely to influence each other and thus push each other higher. The price of the Ti6Al4V powder may not decrease significantly in the short term.

Inquiry us