[T6] AM Beam Based Technologies

[16B-T6-31] Investigating the Influence of Controlling Aluminium Alloy Powder Characteristics on the DED Process

*S.-J. Jo¹, G. Baek¹, H. Kim¹, S. Hong¹ (1.Kongju National University, Korea)

Keywords:Gas Atomization, Al alloy powder, powder characterization, Directed Energy Deposition

Al alloys possess excellent physical and mechanical properties, such as high strength and ductility. Recent research has actively applied additive manufacturing (AM) techniques using Al alloy powder for lightweight design to improve machine efficiency. However, the inherent physical properties of manufactured Al alloys by AM, including porosity, lack of fusion, and cracking, pose challenges in achieving defect-low additive manufacturing of high-strength Al alloys. Powder characteristics, such as thermal conductivity, reflectivity, and the formation of defects like porosity and cracks during the layer-by-layer manufacturing process, are influenced by the Al alloy powder properties. Therefore, controlling powder characteristics is crucial for controlling these defects. This study systematically evaluated Al alloy powder fabricated through Gas atomization for powder characteristics, including reflectivity, flowability, and particle size distribution. The Al alloy as-built is manufactured using the Directed Energy Deposition (DED) process. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the Al alloy as-built are subsequently analysed concerning the powder characteristics.