[T1] Powder Production

[15C-T1-16] Characterization of Water-Atomized Powder by Binder Jet 3D Printer

*K. Itotsubo¹, K. Aida¹, H. Ishigami¹, I. Otsuka¹ (1.Epson Atmix Corporation, Japan)

キーワード：Binder jet type 3D printer, Water-atomized powder

Gas atomized powder is used in many other 3D printing methods, including laser and binder jet methods, and has become a mainstream raw material worldwide. Epson Atmix manufactures powder using the water atomization method, but there have been few studies on 3D printing using this raw material. Although water-atomized powder is inexpensive, it has lower fillability and fluidity than gas-atomized powder, and there are issues with extensibility when the powder is spread. Therefore, we prepared improved powder suitable for 3D printing even by water atomization method, and evaluated the printing part characteristics using the improved powder and gas atomized powder, respectively.As a result of the evaluation, direct property improvement was obtained in the quality of green body and sintered compact. The improved properties of the water-atomized powder are expected to lead to a reduction in the manufacturing cost of parts while maintaining the quality of mass-produced parts in binder jet type 3D printer manufacturing.