Comparison of laser diffraction and image analysis techniques for particle size-shape characterization in additive manufacturing applications

摘要

Powder-based additive manufacturing (AM) technologies are capable of producing high-performance parts for a diverse set of applications. Many AM processes require specific tolerances on feedstock powder to be successful, necessitating high-quality, precise measurements of particle size distribution (PSD) and morphology. This study investigates the use of several powder PSD and morphology measurement methods-including laser diffraction (LD)-based and static image analysis (SIA) techniques-for AM applications. Four AM powders of varying size and shape were tested to compare the influence of data collection methodology on reported powder characteristics. Results indicate that a disparity exists between the PSD and powder morphology data collected using the three method types evaluated, particularly when measuring fine and irregular powder particles. Considering the ad-vantages and disadvantages of both SIA and LD-based methods, consistent use of methodological approach is rec-ommended when analyzing powder PSD and morphology for AM applications. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).