Additive Manufacturing is a new technology that will bring great things over the years to come, creating massive opportunities for the industry as a whole. As a relatively “new” process, its standardisation is still an ongoing activity, while their guidelines and recommendations are being defined and adopted in several communities and organisations, including ASTM, AWS and ISO.

However, the need of qualification and certification is undeniable on the market, particularly where the “fitness for purpose” is required.

Service details

Concerning AM technologies, the properties of the feedstock materials (metal powders) are fundamental to fulfil the final properties on the component. Their importance for final quality of AM product is critical because excessive variations on the powder characteristics may lead, for example, to a non-uniform layering with a consequent increase in defects and important impact on mechanical properties and surface finish. It is therefore necessary to evaluate the influence of the characteristics of the powders on their processability in the additive machines.

Deliverables

Metal powder qualification is addressed to manufacturers, suppliers and sub-suppliers of materials, parts and products, mainly amongst the following markets: heavy industry, power generation, Oil /&‌Gas, mechanics and aerospace.

The service is based on characterization activities (chemistry, metallography, grain size and rheology), supporting them to assess:

• new vendor qualification (vs AM devices suppliers)
• powder Life Cycle Assessment (multi-use/recycling)
• powder contamination (production, management, storage, etc.)
• trace of forensic evidence.

According to ASTM F3049-14, the most relevant properties to be evaluated are:

• particle size (granulometry) verified by means of light scattering methods
• morphology verified by means of light scattering and image analysis methods
• chemical composition verified by means of inert gas fusion technique, combustion and x-ray fluorescence or optical emissions spectroscopy
• flow characteristics verified by means of flowmeters (Hall or Carney funnel)
• density measured by means of flowmeters, Scott volumeter, Arnold meter or by helium or nitrogen pycnometry.

Why RINA?

In the last 20 years we have developed a specific expertise and know how in the areas of coatings for surface engineering, additive manufacturing and powder metallurgy field. This made our teams able to cover the entire metal powder supply chain, also supported by a network of pilot plants for powder production and labs facilities for final characterization.