Effect Of The Powder Size Distribution On The Lithography-Based Metal Manufacturing Process

Authors:

Santiago Cano Cano (1), Johannes Bosters (1), Clemens Sperling (1), Denise Mödder (1), Johannes Stögerer (1), György Harakály (1)

1- Incus GmbH, Austria

Abstract:

Lithography-based Metal Manufacturing (LMM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) technology that delivers components with high feature resolution and surface quality. By utilizing common Metal Injection Molding grade powders (d90 <25 µm) in the process, a surface roughness of Ra < 2 µm can be achieved, with stable geometric features down to 100 µm. Although these as-printed component parameters surpass those of other metal AM technologies, some applications demand lower surface roughness.
To enhance part quality, one approach is the introduction metal powders with smaller size distribution. This not only improves the surface roughness, but also augment the sintering process by facilitating better powder packing. In pursuit of this objective, steel alloys of 316L and 17-4PH with varying size distribution have been analysed, with a specific focus on their processability in the LMM technology and their effectiveness in raising the quality of the components.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59499/EP246281371