metal-powder.net January/February 2014 MPR 41

LPW Technology researches powder for AMLPW Technology, a supplier of PM for additive manufac-turing (AM) applications, has acquired a Freeman Technology rheometer to research new powders and improve product perform-ance.

LPW Technology develops and supplies customised metal powders for compo-nent manufacture, supply-ing, amongst others, the automotive, aerospace and biomedical industries. It has begun powder testing using the FT4 Powder Rheometer to

help engineer powder behav-iour for specific AM proc-esses and applications and to ensure a consistent quality product.

“Powder testing is a critical part of what we do, both in the development of new pow-ders and as a service for cus-tomers looking to optimise existing AM processes,” said Dr Robert Deffley, research and development manager at LPW Technology.

“We’ve long used tradition-al testing techniques such as angle of repose, but these

have inherent limitations. We have seen examples of two powder batches which meet the same specification show-ing very different behaviour, which made it necessary to look for a new method of characterisation with greater sensitivity.

“We considered shear cell testers, which are good for silo and hopper speci-fication, but this test alone couldn’t accurately measure powder properties under the conditions needed to pro-vide relevant data for addi-tive manufacture. With the FT4 we still have shear cell capability, if we need it, but also bulk property measure-ment and, most importantly, dynamic characterisation capability.”

Controlling the perform-ance of powder for AM is crucial for process efficiency and end product quality. How the powder flows and packs, as the layers are formed, are defining aspects of this per-formance.

“AM is advancing fast and this creates new demands for

the powders used,” said Dr Deffley. “AM processes are currently used to produce components with ‘fit and form’, that is prototypes used for advanced product devel-opment.

“The next goal is to robustly engineer in ‘func-tion’ – the controlled poros-ity for a replacement bone, for example, or complex channels for a more effi-cient aerospace cooling system. We’re learning that to rigorously cater for these applications we need a more robust understanding of our powders and that these must have tightly-controlled, repeatable behaviour which is consistent from one batch to the next,” he added.

Freeman’s FT4 Powder Rheometer is based on meas-urement of the powder in motion and directly quanti-fies how the powder flows. Powders can be tested in a consolidated, conditioned, aerated or even fluidised state to fully understand the response to the process conditions.

The FT4 Powder Rheometer is helping LPW Technology to control and

engineer powder materials for additive manufacture.

New company formed to research graphene AMCanadian Graphite producer Lomiko Metals and Graphene Laboratories Inc have formed Graphene 3D Labs Inc to focus on the development of high-performance graphene-enhanced materials for 3D printing.

Dr Daniel Stolyarov of Graphene Laboratories has been appointed CEO and Dr Michael Gouzman, a leading expert in 3D printing, is VP of engineering and technology.

Lomiko has entered into a strategic alliance agreement (SAA) with Graphene Labs to

create Graphene 3D Labs, a spin-out of Graphene Labs.

Lomiko will provide graph-ite to Graphene 3D Labs as the exclusive supplier to Graphene 3D Labs and invest US$50,000 in the start-up.

“We anticipate graphene-enabled materials to revo-lutionise 3D printing,” said Dr Elena Polyakova, CEO of Graphene Labs. “We anticipate strong demand in airspace, automo-tive, semi-conductor and advanced manufacturing industries.”

Metal 3D printer could print miniature componentsA team in the US is planning to create a small 3D printer that makes components from precious metal clay.

According to the team, consisting of David Hartkop, project creator and Ben Aiken, software engineer, the Mini Metal Maker prints 3D objects from digital files directly in precious metal clay, rather than in plastic. This material is a pre-mixed emulsion of metal particles in a water soluble organic binder. When heated in a kiln (600°C-900°C) the

binder burns away as the metal particles fuse together. Besides custom jewellery such as rings and gem set-tings and sculptures, the printer could potentially make specialised machine parts, ornamental hard-ware, metal chains, or even special hardware such as miniature turbines or pistons.

The team intends to work with industrial partners to tool up for production of the machine with injection moulding.

MPR0114_AM news 41 29-01-2014 10:36:00