About Aluminum-based metal and alloy powders

The most common alloying elements for aluminum include copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon, tin, and zinc. The term “common alloy” has been applied to three families of aluminum alloys, all of which fall in the category of non-heat treatable grades.

• Particle Size and Shape: Different applications require specific particle sizes and shapes ( spherical powder for additive manufacturing, irregular particle for Powder Metallurgy).
• Purity and Composition: crucial for achieving the desired properties, such as strength, conductivity, or corrosion resistance.
• Flowability: For processes like 3d printing, the powder’s ability to flow freely and evenly is critical to achieving consistent results.
• Surface Area: In processes like Metal Injection Molding, a higher surface area may be beneficial for binder adhesion, while in additive manufacturing, too high a surface area can cause issues with powder handling.

• Gas Atomization: Molten aluminum alloy is atomized by a high-velocity gas stream (usually inert gas like nitrogen or argon) into fine droplets that solidify into powder particles. This method produces high-quality powders with spherical particles, suitable for AM and other high-performance applications.
• Water Atomization: Similar to gas atomization, but water is used as the atomizing medium. This method can produce irregularly shaped particles and is typically used for applications where high surface area is needed, such as in Metal Injection Molding or Powder Metallurgy.
• Mechanical Milling: Mechanical milling involves grinding aluminum alloy into fine powder using high-energy ball mills or other mechanical processes. This method can be used to produce powders with specific particle size distributions and morphologies but may introduce contamination or deformation in the particles.
• Electrode Induction Melting Gas Atomization (EIGA)
• Plasma Rotating Electrode Process (PREP)
• Centrifugal Atomization
• Sol-Gel Process