Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing

Metal AM processes demand much tighter powder specifications than traditional powder metallurgy. The powder must flow uniformly across a build plate or through a deposition nozzle, fuse predictably under a laser or electron beam, and produce dense parts free of porosity. Gas-atomised spherical morphology is the standard: high sphericity gives the flowability and uniform packing that laser powder bed fusion, binder jetting and directed energy deposition all rely on.

Particle size is specified by laser diffraction rather than mesh, reported as D10, D50 and D90 values. Typical ranges are 15 to 45 microns for laser powder bed fusion and 45 to 90 microns for electron beam and directed energy processes. Oxygen content matters as much as size: surface oxide compromises melt pool stability, so AM grades are specified with low oxygen limits and handled to avoid pickup. Every batch comes with the producer's certificate of analysis: the batch number and chemistry, plus particle size (sieve or laser), apparent density and oxygen content where the producer reports them.