Jan 13, 2017 | By Julia

The famous Ames Laboratory, run by the U.S. Department of Energy at Iowa State University, is hard at work manufacturing the perfect metal powders. While that innovation may seem small (atomic, in fact), its implications for the 3D printing industry are colossal.

the Ames Laboratory in Iowa

For those unaware, 3D printed metal is one of the fastest growing trends in additive manufacturing today. Up until recently, 3D printing metallic materials had been relegated to the realm of industrial and very expensive printers. But the last few years have seen leaps and bounds in the possibilities of 3D printing metals on the cheap.

Back in 2015, a Wisconsin-based startup called the Virtual Foundry launched a promising Kickstarter campaign for a metal 3D printing filament called Filamet. After the campaign proved wildly successful, Virtual Foundry went public with Filamet, enabling anyone with a desktop 3D printer to print in metal, and throwing the doors open to a slew of contenders in the 3D printing metal race.

3D print made with Filamet, after firing

Since then, the innovations have kept coming. Just last week at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, the Massachusetts-based company Markforged took a lead in the metallics race, unveiling a new, relatively affordable method for 3D printing metal called Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing (ADAM), and their impressive new printer capable of doing it, the Metal X.

3d printed metal from the Metal X

Now, the renowned Ames Laboratory is looking to give 3D printed metal another serious boost. Produced by their state-of-the-art gas atomization method, the Ames Lab’s metal powders are made up of perfectly smooth, spherical particles that are ideal for manufacturing.



A simple hourglass test reveals the benefits. Iver Anderson and Emma White, metallurgists at the Ames Lab, like to show visitors samples of the metal powders in custom-made hourglasses. When the hourglasses are flipped, guests can see for themselves the difference between Ames’ metal powders and traditionally manufactured ones. The traditionally made powder doesn’t quite flow through the neck of the hourglass smoothly, instead stopping and starting, needing to be shaken and coaxed. The gas atomized Ames powder, on the other hand, passes smoothly and quickly through the hourglass.

"You can see they're chunky, randomly sized, with rough edges," White notes of the traditionally manufactured powder particles. "They don't flow past each other, and that's going to require a pulsing mechanism or an agitator in the manufacturing process. That's going to cost the manufacturer more in energy to run their production line."

Iver Anderson (left) and Emma White explain the metal powders to U.S. Senate staff Kurt Kovarik

The Ames powders have proven to be an effective alternative, earning the lab over 16 patents in the last two decades, and even leading to a spin-off company, IPAT, to speed the products to market.

The key is in the details. Gas atomization is a method of producing powder that relies on high-pressure gas flow to disintegrate molten metal into tiny particles. Metals are melted by an induction furnace at the lab, then passed into an atomization nozzle. Several gas jets, ranging from argon to helium, are focused on the molten metal in a tight pattern, forcing the liquified metal to couple directly with the powerful kinetic energy of the gas flow. The process creates a controlled droplet spray, which then quickly solidifies as the droplets cool.

The result is consistently sized, smooth, spherical powder particles. The powders can even be customized for different industry and research needs.

a less-than-perfect titanium powder made from traditional methods

Using its gas atomization method, Ames Laboratory has manufactured powdered iron, aluminum, nickel, copper, tin, magnesium, and more. Titanium remains one of its key accomplishments, and not coincidentally, one of the most sought-after metals in 3D printing right now.

"The titanium industry is extremely interested in powder metallurgy and final-shape consolidation methods," White says. “They see advances in powder metallurgy as an effective cost control strategy by making parts into near-final shapes and minimizing waste titanium."

Looking forward, the Ames Lab wants to expand its powder production capabilities even further. Ultimately, the goal is to produce up to 200 pounds of powder in one production run. The strategic move would make batches large enough to use as proper sample sizes for research and industry partners.

The 3D printing industry would benefit in no small way from that expansion, as the Ames Lab is already looking to position itself as a provider of custom metal powders for additive manufacturing companies. Meanwhile, the lab continues to fine-tune the gas atomization process, thanks to a rigorously committed team.

“The ability to make impossible shapes out of incredible alloys is my mission in life,” Anderson says. “I want to work on ways to get this done."

Posted in 3D Printing Materials

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