Equalization of Metal Powder for Binder Jet Printing

Metal powders used in additive manufacturing often face the issue of variable powder surface characteristics, causing inconsistent part quality. As such, a ”homogenization” treatment for metal powder surfaces may be advantageous for relevant fabrication processes. By using high-powered xenon flash lamp to rapidly heat powder samples, the surface energy of the powder particles was brought to the same value regardless of the powder source and past usage. Pulse-heating the powder caused the atomic structure of particle surfaces to undergo rearrangement and removed adsorbed moieties. Effects of this treatment on metal powders have been investigated and evaluated by measuring the time before water droplets are absorbed on treated and untreated thin layers.