PowderMet          AMPM          Special Interest

018 - Strength, Microstructural Effects, and Stress Concentration Sensitivity in Green Metal Powder Compacts
Joseph Wright, Drexel University

Green metal powder compacts undergo fracture differently than their wrought counterparts due to the bonded particulate nature. While wrought components may exhibit fracture in an easily predictable manner, compacted powders may break at many particulate contacts and develop dynamic stress concentrations. Recent work has been done to understand powder compacts and their fracture behavior using side pressing of compacts with and without a hole. The ratio of the two strengths provides insight for the microstructure length scale related to distributed internal defects and related to the powder distribution. The ratio of the strength and the value of the strength of the specimen without a hole provides an estimate of the fracture toughness of the material. A review of the theoretical framework will be presented and experimental results related to FLNC-4408 (0.85% Prealloyed Iron + 2wt% Ni + 1.5wt% Cu + graphite) are presented and discussed.

096 - Understanding Carbon Footprint and Costs of Atmosphere and Vacuum Thermal Processing
Bryan Stern, Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems

With a growing awareness of the environmental impact of thermal processing, environmental considerations are becoming more critical in operations and facilities planning. While financial planning information is often readily available, it can be difficult for heat treaters to compare equipment from a standpoint of environmental impact. This is due in part to the complex and nuanced differences in equipment design and operation with emissions occurring both on and off-site. In this presentation, a case study comparing a gas fired atmosphere IQ and an electric batch vacuum furnace will be shared. We will review the technical specifications for each piece of equipment and compare utility and energy consumption, operating cost, and CO2 emissions. We will also highlight the impact of several design variables to consider when specifying and operating equipment. Although the case study is specific, many of the takeaways are generally applicable and can provide insights into how different approaches to heat treat processing can impact operations and the environment.

118 - Reduce Friction with a Secondary Mechanical/Chemical Surface Treatment Process
Jeffrey Bell, Precision Finsihing Inc.

In this presentation, we will review a new mechano/chemical surface treatment process that greatly improves the frictional characteristics of intermeshing metallic surfaces. This novel process combines controlled contact between the surface-to-be-treated and carrier materials with the addition of bespoke formulations of chemistry to achieve an improved operational interface, both mechanically and tribologically. The chemistries are specially formulated to chemically react and diffuse into the part surface creating an anti-friction/anti-wear nano layer while simultaneously improving surface topography. This results in surfaces with improved frictional coefficients and greater operational efficiencies that result from a reduction in heat and improved wear life.

 127 - REBECCA: Regional Energy Business, Education and Commercialization Convergence Accelerator I
Sundar V. Atre, University of Louisville

The marketplace for energy innovations using advanced materials and manufacturing technologies is poised to attract over a trillion dollars in investment within next two decades. Viable products could include solar panels, hydrogen generators, catalysts, batteries, biofuels and microgrid systems. The clean energy sector is highly specialized and requires investors, entrepreneurs, and a strong technology accelerator empowering successful startups to achieve commercial success. To magnify the impact and facilitate successful translations, an Energy Tech Hub headquartered in Louisville, is proposed herein, termed as Regional Energy Business, Education, and Commercialization Convergence Accelerator (REBECCA). REBECCA will build an ecosystem in Louisville that fosters world class innovations combined with creating a competitive workforce and supply chain in energy industry that can make the U.S. energy industry a global leader in the $6 trillion global energy market. The new opportunities for the metal powder industry in this sector will be discussed in this paper.

 128 - REBECCA: Regional Energy Business, Education and Commercialization Convergence Accelerator II
Sundar V. Atre, University of Louisville

In this presentation, we will review a new mechano/chemical surface treatment process that greatly improves the frictional characteristics of intermeshing metallic surfaces. This novel process combines controlled contact between the surface-to-be-treated and carrier materials with the addition of bespoke formulations of chemistry to achieve an improved operational interface, both mechanically and tribologically. The chemistries are specially formulated to chemically react and diffuse into the part surface creating an anti-friction/anti-wear nano layer while simultaneously improving surface topography. This results in surfaces with improved frictional coefficients and greater operational efficiencies that result from a reduction in heat and improved wear life.

 126 - RESQTOOL HE-Project - Recycling of High-Quality CRM Resources from Machining Tools for Re-use Applications
Johannes Pötschke, Fraunhofer IKTS

RESQTOOL is working to develop a sustainable and energy efficient solution for recycling and responsible supply of Critical Raw Materials (Co, W, Ta, Ti, Nb) from EoL products in Hard Metal industries of metal/wood cutting, construction and tool manufacturing by lowering the carbon footprint and energy consumption of Zinc reclaim process and developing advanced hydro- and solvo-metallurgical biochemical recycling based on agro-industrial waste RESQTOOL will explore the potentials of Zinc Reclaim and Bio-chemical Recycling processes in the complete value chain of Hard Metals to offer a responsible, circular and sustainable supply of Critical Raw Materials in Europe together with a contribution to EU Climate neutrality objectives. The project will demonstrate within 4 years the capability of these two complementary processes to re-use and recover Critical Raw Materials in all stages of the Hard Metals value chain ranging from collection, logistics, sorting and separation to cleaning, refining and purification of materials. Demonstrating an approach towards zero waste manufacturing by means of energy and resource efficiency, and by a validation using real parts from the HM industry, the project will go beyond the state-of-the-art in terms of maturity (from TRL 5 to 8) and hence contribute to the European Green Deal.

008 -Hot Isostatic Pressing Optimization of Additive and Micro-Additive Manufactured 316L Stainless Steel via Metal Binder Jetting and Metal Material Jetting
Michael Pires, Lehigh University

Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) is a post-process heat treatment used primarily to improve density, often required for metal additive manufacturing (AM) components in engineering industries, such as aerospace, automotive, and medical. Since its invention in the 1950’s, newer HIP equipment has incorporated rapid cooling or quenching, allowing for better microstructural control. To date, a large deal of literature exists for HIP of laser-based AM, but few for sinter-based AM (SBAM). SBAM continues to grow in popularity due to its capability for large scale production and more accessible range of printable material systems. With this in mind, there exists a need to better understand the effects of HIP on their microstructures and mechanical properties. A matrix consisting of altering temperatures (1,000, 1,150, & 1,250 °C) and pressures (100, 140, & 207 MPa) was designed for HIP of 316L stainless steel components with the incorporation of rapid cooling. Components were printed via metal binder jetting and metal material jetting for a comparative study between existing AM and micro-AM (metal material jetting – i.e., nanoparticle jetting) processes in their as-sintered and HIP’d conditions. Scanning electron, and scanning transmission electron microscopy were implemented to characterize and quantify the resulting microstructures following each processing condition, including existing phases, defects or inclusions, and their morphologies. Bulk density was measured to determine the effectiveness of HIP parameters, while tensile properties and microhardness were measured to determine their mechanical performance. 

075 - Advanced HIP Solutions—Expanding Possibilities for AM Applications
Jane LaGoy, Bodycote

The Additive Manufacturing (AM) community has accepted hot isostatic pressing (HIP) as a key quality assurance tool, much in the way the casting industry did decades ago. HIP’s ability to eliminate internal porosity is essential for critical applications given the phenomenon of shrinkage as alloys solidify and the fact that resultant pores degrade mechanical, corrosion, and sealing properties.  There is a practical balance to be found in both the foundry and AM industries where adding HIP as a secondary operation allows for more cost and time savings versus trying to design and test for net zero shrinkage. Advances in the science of HIP are uncovering new options to lower costs and optimize processing parameters for AM. However, the use of HIP has expanded well beyond porosity elimination into the areas of powder metallurgy (PM) near-net shape (NNS) design and production of massive components, diffusion bonding for high-temperature applications, and HIP cladding of premium materials (typically corrosion and/or wear resistant) onto selective areas of need only. All highlight HIP’s ability to bond powder-to-powder, powder-to-solid, and solid-to-solid dissimilar materials.  As the design of engineered materials continually advances, and the demand for higher sustained operating temperatures increases in aero and orbital space flight and nuclear energy, HIP offers another vital tool to achieve these goals.

020 - Develop Low Binder Tungsten Carbide Grades Using Binder Jetting
Zhuqing Wang, Kennametal Inc.

Cemented tungsten carbides are the most widely used materials in metal-cutting industry and wear resistant applications because of the high hardness and wear resistance. Carbides made by beam-based additive manufacturing have low quality due to large pores, inhomogeneous microstructures, and cracks. Binder jetting can produce carbides with microstructure and properties similar to those made by traditional powder metallurgy processes. Previous work has demonstrated the success of printing cemented carbides with high metallic binders. However, it is more challenging to print carbides that are comparable to conventional materials when the metallic binders are below 15 wt.%. This work focuses on the development of cemented tungsten carbides with 10-17 wt.% of metallic binders using binder jetting. The relationship between powder, printing, and sintering to produce commercial quality carbides will be discussed. In addition, applications enabled by using DFAM principles will be presented.

030 - Development of Niobium Zirconium Alloy for Structural Material Usage in Microreactors
Michael Brand, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Niobium Zirconium Alloy (Nb-1Zr) is a widely used in atomic energy and rocketry industries making it an ideal alloy for fabrication of a microreactor. An alloy of zirconium with niobium is a unique structural material that has high corrosion resistance at elevated temperatures (up to 350 ^oC) and pressures, intense neutron, and gamma radiation. The physical and mechanical properties of the alloy make it possible to use it as cladding for fuel rods. The microreactor program has expressed interest in different refractory alloys that can be used in a reactor environment. Using single laser tracks will be studied to determine the best overall processing parameters. After establishing the processing parameters density cubes, hardness samples and mechanical test specimens will be fabricated and compared to wrought or traditionally machine samples. Finally, a small 7-hole reactor sample will be fabricated to determine if this alloy can be scaled up to support the overall goal of the microreactor program. 

063 - Development of an Abrasion Resistant Alloy for the Metal Binder Jet Process
Christopher T. Schade, FAPMI, Hoeganaes Corporation

In general, hard materials for tooling and wear resistant applications are very difficult to machine, with the most common forming method being grinding. Utilizing a grinding operation severely limits the shape of the final product which can be achieved. Additive manufacturing (AM), specifically, metal binder jetting (MBJ) allows for intricate shapes to be formed for most all alloy materials. This paper highlights the mechanical properties and microstructures of an abrasion resistant alloy called Ni-Hard. Ni-Hard is a generic name for white cast iron materials alloyed with high chromium and nickel to provide abrasion resistance. The microstructure of Ni-Hard alloys generally consists of carbides with a matrix of martensite-bainite and austenite, the levels depending on the chemistry and heat treatment. The various heat treatments, microstructures along with the hardness and abrasion resistance will be studied in samples produced from the MBJ process.

144 - Mechanical Behavior of Reactive Laser Powder Bed Fused of Borated Aluminum Alloy 6061
Jason Ting,   Elementum3D

This study focuses on determining the impact of finely-dispersed boron on the structural mechanical behavior of additively manufactured (AMed) aluminum alloy 6061 (AA-6061). Reactive Additive Manufacturing (RAM) through laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is employed to overcome the hot cracking challenges associated with AM of AA-6061 by introducing ceramic elements for enhanced manufacturability and grain refinement. Small cubes were made via RAM/L-PBF followed by their electrical discharge machining (EDM) to harvest both vertically- and diagonally-oriented miniature (~20 mm total length) tensile specimens from them. These specimens, together with wrought AA-6061, were tested for tensile strength using a micro-tensile testing system. Results from testing miniature tensile specimens and ASTM standardized tensile specimens of the wrought AA-6061 are presented to help support ongoing certification efforts of this material in the nuclear industry. The tensile behavior between the RAM/L-PBF and wrought AA-6061 are presented and their implications discussed. The RAM powder technology will also be a focus of the presentation.

115 - Investigation of Large Scale AM + PM Parts for Nuclear Application
Souma Nag, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

This study focuses on large scale AM capability for fabrication of Hot Isostatic Pressure cans. The target AM modality is DED, capable of fabricating components in the scale of meters. The current effort will share various aspects of AM + PM endeavor, highlighting the as-fabricated and post HIPed states of components.

133 - Investigation of the Effect of Oxygen Homogeneity on the Processability of Ti-6Al-4V Addition of Out of Spec Powders
Mahdi Habibnejad-korayem, GE Additive

A high degree of consistency in the chemical composition of powder feedstock could influence powder flowing, packing ability, and consequently the final properties of printed components. For the case of Ti-6Al-4V composition, one of the main elements influencing the final properties of printed components is the oxygen content, which can be distributed at either the interstitial free positions or surface forming different grades of 23 and 5. In general, the main criterion to select among the above material grades is the fact that higher oxygen content of the grade 5 would enhance the strength results and the lower oxygen content of the grade 23 would result in superior ductility. The mixture of the above grades could also yield the target oxygen content but would bring inconsistency and heterogeneity in the localized oxygen distribution. This paper is to present the experimental data to clarify the uncertainties introduced to the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processability of the uniform and mixed powders and comment on the final mechanical and physical properties of LPBF printed components. For this purpose, two powder batches: i) a batch of grade 23, containing 0.13 % Oxygen content, and ii) a mixture of the grade 5 powder, with 0.22% oxygen, and the grade 23 containing 0.07% Oxygen content resulting in a global oxygen content of 0.13% have been designed and processed by LPBF process to assess the resulted microstructure. The paper investigates the effect of oxygen homogeneity of powder feedstocks on additive manufacturing (AM) processability, and laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) printed properties of Ti-6Al-4V plasma atomized above powders. The study presents results of roughness and porosity measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD) profiles, microstructure analysis, and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) orientation maps, tensile and fatigue properties. The samples also were post-processed through stress relief, heat treat and hot isostatic processes. Also the results have been compared with the previous study performed by the same authors to mix the regular grade 5 and grade 23 powders with equal global oxygen content of 0.13%.

560 - Current State of SMC Technology and Electrification Trends in the Auto Industry
Bruce Lindsley, Hoeganaes Corporation

Electrification in the automotive industry has the potential to be a major disruption to the conventional powder metallurgy (PM) component industry. While the transition from the internal combustion engine to battery electric vehicles would eliminate many traditional PM applications in the engine and transmissions, numerous opportunities exist using PM soft magnetic composite (SMC) technology. This SIP will provide an update on the current state of SMC technology and electrification trends, SMC material properties, transmission evolution, E-motors, and design and alternative approaches to SMC manufacturing.

561 - Trends & Standards Committee Update
Roland Warzel III, North American Höganäs Co.

An update on the current state of soft magnetic composite (SMC) technology and material properties will be reviewed along with an update on MPIF activities on the development of material property standards for these powder metallurgy materials.

562 - SMC and E-motor Case Studies
Chantal Labrecque, Rio Tinto Metal Powders

An update on the E-motor design for soft magnetic composite (SMC) materials along with SMC and E-motor design case studies.