Abstract
We used high-energy x-ray tomography to characterize Ti-6Al-4V metal powders (both as-received and recycled) used in powder-bed additive manufacturing process. The image processing workflow was developed to process and analyze large amount of data objectively by computer program. The distribution of size and shape of the metal particles as well as defect (mainly porosity) inside the particles was analyzed with the statistical representation and resolution in micrometer. The result revealed that circular-shaped porosity with various sizes could be embedded in the powder particles. These porosities could potentially be transferred to the 3D printed part and critically affect the mechanical performance of the component. The present study shows the effectiveness of characterizing metal powders using x-ray imaging techniques where sufficient number of particles can be sampled within tens of minutes with a minimum sample preparation and high accuracy. Clear structural differences in the as-received and recycled powders were delineated that helps in determining the feasibility of using the recycled powders.
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Acknowledgment
Support for this work was partially provided by the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office at Argonne National Laboratory, a US Department of Energy’s Office of Science Laboratory operated under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357 by UChicago Argonne, LLC. This research used resources of the Advanced Photon Source, a US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. Authors are grateful to Dr. F. Medina, formerly of Edison Welding Institute and now with the University of Texas, El Paso, for supplying the metal powders.
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Chuang, C.A., Ahmed, S.S.S., Kenesei, P. et al. High-Energy X-ray Tomographic Analysis of Precursor Metal Powders (Ti-6Al-4V) Used for Additive Manufacturing. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 30, 610–616 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-020-05341-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-020-05341-4