Advanced Powder Characterization for Laser Powder-Bed Fusion of AlSi10Mg

摘要

Laser Powder-Bed Fusion is an additive manufacturing technique that allows to produce complex parts.Apart from process parameters, a key aspect of this system is powder quality, which strongly affectsprocessability. In fact, a low powder quality, in terms of flowability, usually results in undesiredphenomena, such as inadequate parts produced or machine clogging. It is then necessary to accuratelydetermine whether a powder will flow properly or not. Currently, the most common flow test used is theHall flow, which lacks accuracy for powders with intermediate properties. Hence the necessity to findnew powder characterisation techniques. Varying tests have been performed, ranging from flowability,particle size distribution, powder permeability to compressibility. Some correlations between the flowingbehaviour and other powder properties, such as permeability, have been found. Ranking samplesaccording to their flowability was also possible, granting a deeper accuracy level with respect to thesimple Hall flow test.