Authors:
Yin Nan Kok (Powderloop Technology Ltd., United Kingdom)
Abstract:
Hardmetal powders used in today’s metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes were made from pre-manufactured carbides, originally formulated for thermal spraying. The conventional powder manufacturing process involves multiple high-energy stages to pre-manufacture carbide including carburisation and pulverisation. During metal AM process, a melt-pool is created by a laser beam during which chemical reactions occur within the melt-pool. When pre-manufactured carbide is used, the carbide is re-heated, leading to carbide decomposition and the formation of unfavourable brittle eta-carbide phase which is detrimental to the coating performance. This paper presents a novel powder developed for AM using a novel resource-efficient powder manufacturing process. The powder was produced by agglomerating fine particles of elemental materials instead of pre-manufactured carbide. This powder forms carbide in the melt pool during laser processing, resulting in improved material properties, a chemically more stable coating, and a cleaner interface with metallurgical bonding between the precipitated carbide and the matrix.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59499/EP256761557
